


The Stark Contract

by cannibalpasta



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abuse, Alpha!Steve, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arranged Marriage, BAMF!Tony, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Forced Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, KIND OF I GUESS, Kidfic, M/M, Marking, Mpreg, Omega Tony Stark, Possessive Behavior, Rape/Non-con Elements, Scent Marking, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Has Issues, basically this story starts when tony's a kid and ends somewhere after civil war probably, did i tag everything??, hurt!Tony, not hundred percent sure yet!! XD, omega!Tony, tony has a kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:04:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8471341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cannibalpasta/pseuds/cannibalpasta
Summary: At the age of twelve (almost thirteen), Tony presents as an omega.At the age of sixteen, his Father signs a contract that legally binds him to marrying an alpha from another well-off family.At the age of forty-two, Tony meets Steve Rogers.  Now, Tony's life once more turned around, he has to figure out a way to make the best out of the situation. Luckily, he's not giving up on finding all the loopholes in the near thirty-year-old contract. It just might take some time. And maybe some help.  P.S. Please, heed the tags!





	1. Prologue & The Contract

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and thanks for stopping by!!
> 
> So, I don't know if writing a fic with a/b/o dynamics is like kicking a dead horse by now, but I've never written one and this story has been haunting my nights for an eternity already. Also, after finally recovering from CACW I feel like I just need some Steve/Tony feels, amirite? That's why this one's Stony unlike the rest of my works.
> 
> Also fyi I'm apparently posting this story instead of updating my existing fics and also neglecting my studies and some adult stuff (me? An adult?? pffft) on the side while doing so. Worth it? I hope so XDDD
> 
> A couple more of informative words before I shut up:  
> 1) I'm not a native English speaker, so any feedback on my language will be helpful considering my future works.  
> 2) I'm a lone wolf as in I don't have a beta so if you find something half-assed then it's totally on me XDDD  
> 3) Comments and kudos give me life
> 
> That's all. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the fic! :)

It was the worst day of his life so far.

He was twelve years old, thirteen in a few weeks. A late bloomer, was what his Mother had said about him, smiling and swirling the wine in her glass. Most of his friends had already presented, some soon after they'd turned eleven, some closer to twelve. Lately it had been just him and his classmate Tobias that hadn't yet been assigned to the classes intended for their genders.

He didn't mind waiting, though, because he was a little afraid to disappoint his parents if he turned out to be an omega. Scratch that, _nervous_ , not afraid.

Although, that scenario was highly unlikely, or so his doctor and his parents had been telling him since his first ever physical (which he of course had no memory of). All the signs pointed to Tony presenting as an alpha when the time for it came. And if not an alpha, then at least a beta.

Tony had never bothered to find out what these so called 'signs' were in-depth (something about his behavior analysis and his physical development thus far, he'd gathered), but he trusted the doctor's medical opinion. He was happy that he'd most likely get to attend the same classes as his best friend, Rick, who'd been assigned to alpha classes about a year prior. In fact, most of his friends had transferred to alpha studies, since his school focused on students that were likely to present as alphas. It was the best and the most expensive private school his Father could have thrust him into.

So, how could it have come down to this?

The morning three weeks before his thirteenth birthday, he'd woken up to Jarvis gently knocking against his door and entering his room to get him to rise, as per usual. He still remembers the slight widening of the beta's green eyes and the way he'd quickly closed the door and crossed the room. Tony blinked down at him as he knelt next to his bed, himself scrambling up to sit and have a better look at the older man.

"Jarvis, what is—"

"Oh, Master Anthony," Jarvis interrupted him, sudden tears in his eyes. He'd reached to cup Tony's head with both hands. They were shaking, Tony had realised. "Remember, that whatever happens from this point onwards, you have nothing to be ashamed of and you have done absolutely nothing wrong. Alright?"

"Wha-what do you mea—"

"Anthony, please!" Jarvis interrupted him yet again, shocking Tony with his uncharacteristic lack of restraint, shaking the still somewhat small head cradled in his hands as he did. "Promise me that you'll remember what I just said."

Tony blinked, paling slightly as realization was beginning to dawn on him. "I promise, Jarvis." With that Jarvis had pulled him into a tight embrace and Tony found himself returning it just as fiercely.

 

* * *

  
His Father was the first to raise his eyes when Tony's now sweet and oh-so-mellow scent reached his and Maria's noses. They were sitting in the dining room, his Father with the day's paper clutched in his hands and his Mother nursing a cup of coffee alongside with her usual glass of wine. Any other morning the sight would've made him happy, since the moments where all three of them were together were so few and far between, but now it just made a freezing shiver of trepidation travel through his body. He was terrified.

He kept his eyes locked on his Father, the Alpha of the house, waiting for his reaction and hoping against hope that his gender wouldn't be an issue. That, of course, was futile. He flinches when Howard's coffee cup and empty breakfast plate are swept to the floor in an all too familiar gesture of anger. Only that now it's a hundred times more worse.

 _"How could you...?"_ he hisses, probably not even realizing how Tony couldn't have possibly done anything to encourage or discourage how he'd presented. Even so, Tony feels ashamed to the core, and lets his gaze fall to his feet, his cheeks burning with humiliation. "An _omega!"_ his Father continues, all but screaming as he slams the newspaper he'd still been gripping in his hand against the wood of the dining table. The slap echoes in the room harshly, and Tony has to catch himself before flinching again, not wanting to be more of a disappointment.

"Howard...." his Mother pleads, visibly rattled at the sight of her Alpha yelling and trashing objects.

"Shut it, Maria! And _you_ ," he points at Tony, "you know that I have no other heir for the Stark Industries. How am I supposed to train you now?!"

"F-Father, I can still—" His Father grasps his wrist painfully.

 _"No!_ No, you can't. You're an _omega_ , Tony, get that! Maria can't give birth to any more children, carrying you was hard enough for her. You know that, Tony. You were our only shot!"

Tears burn in his eyes and he tries to furiously blink them away.

"I-I'll do anything, Dad, please...."

"Yes, you damn well will, omega. I will not see my only son become one of those promiscuous wenches." He yanks at Tony's hand until he's looking at Howard again. Then he slaps him. _"You will not cry, you hear me?!_ Stark men are made of _iron_ , Anthony. Now, look at me." His voice was almost as cold and hard as his eyes.

"You will choose now, Anthony," his Father told him, taking a hold of his other hand also, shaking Tony slightly. "Either, you will be sent to Portland where you'll enroll at the finest facility for omegas this country has, Portland Academy for Omega Upbringing and Behavior. There you will learn every tidbit of information for what there is to being the pretty little harlot for the upper class." His grip was now bruising, and spit was flying from his mouth as he spoke hatefully. _"Or_ , you will learn everything you would learn if you were an alpha, and I will see if _this_ can somehow be reversed. You will do _everything_ I tell you to do on the dot, or there will be consequences. You will attend some omega classes at your school, although I'll make sure that they won't put shame to the Stark name by training you into becoming some pampered ditz. I _will not_ allow it."

He shakes Tony again as if to emphasize his words and then holds the boy's gaze, eyes unloving and calculating. It makes Tony's hands shake and he purses them into fists.

"Which will it be, Tony?" Howard grits, fingers tightening on Tony. Tony swallows.

"I—" He has to pause to swallow again. "I want to learn everything I would if I were an alpha," he answers truthfully. His Father's expression doesn't change one inch.

"Good," he says, although it doesn't seem like he's glad at all; his fingers are once more tightening around Tony's arms and he's clenching his jaw hard. Finally, he lets go of his son with a shove, sending Tony stumbling a little way backwards as he himself straightens. Then he exits the room. It's the last time he properly talks to Tony.

 

* * *

 

Tony's first heat hits him the fall he's sixteen. It's his second year at MIT, the first ever omega to get to attend thanks to his Father's influence and Tony's undeniable intelligence.

Getting your first heat at sixteen is considered late, as the usual ages for that are between thirteen and fifteen, so even now Tony seems to be the late bloomer that his Mother once had called him. He also suspects that the heavy suppressants (courtesy of his Father) he's been on ever since one month after he'd presented have something to do with that.

Anyway, the heat comes and goes, signaling that his reproductive organs are finally fully developed. He gets a new packet of suppressants, ones that will also block his heats as well as dampen his scent and submissive urges. Not that Tony'd ever really displayed that much of submissive behavior, but maybe his Father just wants to be extra sure. Especially since he never managed to turn his omega son into an alpha, not with the drugs or behavioral camps he'd pushed him into, so now he just has to make sure that he doesn't exhibit any signs of his omegahood. God forbid.

He was at campus when the first wave of his heat hit him, thankfully with Rhodey, who might as well be his knight in shining armor. He'd all but carried Tony, half-delirious by the time, from the lecture hall, away from interested gazes, and stayed with him in his dorm room all three days of his heat, only leaving to get them food.

Alpha or not, Rhodey didn't once take advantage of Tony during his heat, even with the dorm room's air thick with pheromones and with Tony's skin hot and glistening with sweat. Not even when Tony pleaded him or clung to him. No, not Rhodey. He just sat there, talked him through it, carding soothing fingers through his hair, wiping sweat from his brow with a wet rag and helping him eat in his moments of clarity. Then comforting him afterwards, when Tony was clear-headed enough to feel shaken and embarrassed for the whole ordeal. And not once after did the alpha mock Tony for his behavior during those three days.

And that's one of the reasons why Tony refuses to believe those ridiculous claims about alphas not being able to control themselves in the presence of omegas, especially if their heat is close or hits them while in public. Not when he'd seen first hand that an alpha could, in fact, resist the pull.

On a weekend a couple of weeks after the heat, he goes to visit his parents, obediently on his new suppressants that his Father and Mother had sent him. He's barely gotten himself and his bag inside the Stark family manor, when his Mother comes to welcome him giddily. Which she doesn't do.

"Hi, Mom." He returns her hug, more than shell-shocked, although he's used to getting hugged or kissed on a cheek as a greeting, being an upper class omega and all that.

"Oh, Tony, my dear boy, we have wonderful news for you, darling," she gushes, pulling back and Tony resist the urge to sneeze at her omega pheromone enhanced perfume. They are popular among upper class omegas, but Tony has always preferred cologne. It's probably because of his Father, who hates having to smell Tony's, although dampened, but still there sweet scent. Tony wants to think that he wears cologne because pheromone enhanced perfumes....just no. Not for him anyway. Especially on a campus full of young and hormone riddled alphas.

He follows Maria to the living room, leaving his bag to Jarvis with a smile at the elderly beta. When they reach the room Tony feels even more shell-shocked than earlier when his Mother had come to greet him. There, in the Stark Mansion living room, sitting with cigars and tumblers of scotch in their hands, is his Father, Howard Stark, and the owner of the Darrow Industries, Chester Darrow. Next to him sits his omega wife, Olivia, as well as....Rick?

 _"Rick?"_ he asks, unbelieving, as he frowns at the young man standing near Chester Darrow's armchair. He hasn't talked to Rick, the second-born of Chester Darrow's children, in years, not since the other boy admitted to not wanting to hang out with omega kids when Tony'd been twelve, almost thirteen. His then best friend, Richard Darrow, had then been thirteen and half years, born in the fall unlike Tony, already making new friends and mingling with fellow alphas in the alpha studies.

They had studied in same grade, where as Tony had skipped three grades, Rick had skipped two (because apparently they were both geniuses), and Tony had heard of him enrolling at MIT too, although they'd never really crossed paths. There were enough students at their institute to avoid that.

"Tony, mind your manners," his Father reprimanded him sharply, not even glancing in his direction. "Chester, my son, Anthony, as I presume you've gathered." He motioned in Tony's general direction, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yes, yes, good to finally meet you, Anthony," Chester Darrow rambled pleasantly, standing up and cradling Tony's hand in his larger hands. Just cradling, not shaking. You didn't shake an omega's hand, especially if you were an alpha like his Father or Alpha Darrow.

"Sure," Tony replied, trying to sound demure in the presence of his family and another influential old money family. He was most likely failing, since Tony didn't do demure.

"Dear, please take a seat," Maria was ushering him into a chair and gesturing for Rick to also have a seat near Alpha Darrow. Howard and Chester were both seated in big armchairs facing each other, when everyone else was sitting in smaller chairs, accentuating their positions as the heads of their families. Tony wanted to scoff, but he knew better.

"Alpha Darrow is here to discuss a deal between me and him," Howard informed after a beat, apparently to no one in particular, but Tony was pretty sure he was the only one in the room who wasn't in the know. His Father just refused to acknowledge his existense, that's all. "We were informed of your first heat a couple of weeks earlier—"

"Wait—" Tony tried to interject, but Howard was not to be stopped.

"—so we decided it was as good time as any to finally wrap this up. We have been in discussions of a deal considering the heir of Stark Industries as well as the second alpha child of the Darrow family—"

"Dad, you've gotta be—"

"Shut it, Tony," his Father snapped at him, stumping his cigar. "The deal is done. All that was left was to inform you and now that's done too. You and Richard will be wed the year the two of you've finished your studies."

Tony couldn't do anything but stare. The conversation went a little while after that before Alpha Darrow decided it's time they take their leave. The Starks walked the other three to the front door, and Tony couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine as he caught the smirk Rick shot in his direction. He answered with a glare. _Jerk_.

As soon as the door closed Tony was demanding to be handed a copy of the deal to himself. Surprisingly enough, his Father gave him one without a backward glance. This is about how the deal went:

 

## PREMARITAL AGREEMENT

_Stark Industries_

_Darrow Industries_

 

 **[1]** ALPHA RICHARD TERRENCE DARROW (born August 16, 1969) and OMEGA ANTHONY EDWARD STARK (born May 29, 1970) are to be wed the year they have both graduated from their studies (date to be settled later). The responsibilities and faithfulness in the marriage are considered as part of the clauses in this contract. A proper mating bond is required for this contract to be valid.

 **[2]** As the heir of _Stark Industries_ , but himself being unable to hold the position of the chief executive officer (CEO) of said company, the responsibilities of that position shall be transferred from ANTHONY STARK to his mate-to-be, RICHARD DARROW, when the current CEO, ALPHA HOWARD STARK, so decides, or is himself unable to continue serving under the title. The transfer requires a lawful marriage between the two parties before it is valid.

 **[3]** ANTHONY STARK shall have a position within the company. His position will encompass the functions of an Advisor, and every decision made considering _Stark Industries_ will go through ANTHONY STARK, in order to protect the legacy of the Stark name. The final say resides in the combined votes of the CEO-to-be RICHARD DARROW (50%), ANTHONY STARK (30%), the board of directors (BOD) (20%) and the Chairman of the BOD (1%).

 **[4]** The heir following RICHARD DARROW shall be the alpha descendant of ANTHONY STARK. If ANTHONY STARK does not bear an alpha heir, the ownership of _Stark Industries_ shall fall to ALPHA OBADIAH STANE or his alpha heir. If not possible, the ownership shall be trusted to the available alpha heir of the Darrow house.

 **[5]** If RICHARD DARROW passes away, or is otherwise incapable of serving as the CEO of _Stark Industries_ before the birth of his alpha heir or them coming to the age of eighteen (18), the position shall be passed over to an available and suitable Darrow descendant, until the heir(s) negotiated in clause four (4) come of age. If a suitable Darrow heir is not found, the position shall pass to OBADIAH STANE and on to his heirs, as discussed in clause four (4).

 **[6]** If ANTHONY STARK passes away, or is otherwise incapable of serving as the Advisor for _Stark Industries_ , he may appoint a suitable follower for his position with full autonomy (this follower must be previously negotiated and the decision recorded). If ANTHONY STARK passes away before the birth of an heir, the ownership of the company shall pass over to OBADIAH STANE and on to his heirs, as discussed in clause four (4).

 **[7]** RICHARD DARROW shall provide to ANTHONY STARK and ANTHONY STARK shall in turn bear (a) descendant(s) before the age of forty (40) to the Darrow and Stark families. The gender of the descendant is not pivotal to this clause, unlike it is to the lawful heritage of _Stark Industries_ [see clause four (4)]. If a descendant is not born before ANTHONY STARK turns the age of forty (40), the ownership of _Stark Industries_ shall remain with the Darrow family, regardless of OBADIAH STANE or his possible heir.

 **[8]** This contract is legally binding to both parties, ALPHA RICHARD TERRENCE DARROW and OMEGA ANTHONY EDWARD STARK, as well as to their legal guardians, ALPHA CHESTER RUDOLPH DARROW and ALPHA HOWARD ANTHONY WALTER STARK, respectively. If either party breaks the clauses made in this contract, the deal shall be broken off and redone in favor of the party innocent of breaking the clauses. The rights negotiable in the new contract would be the ownership of the _Stark Industries_ , the custody of (a) possible descendant(s) and the legal rights to the remaining property of both parties. This contract is lawful and valid until the death of either of the parties, until a clause is broken and the contract is redone or until the alpha descendant of ANTHONY STARK takes over the position as the CEO of _Stark Industries_.

 

  
At the bottom of the contract were the signatures of Howard Stark and Chester Darrow, as well as the date the contract had been signed on. Which was today, just for the record.

His hands trembling and his vision slightly dimming around the edges, Tony wasn't sure whether to be happy that he had the right to finish his studies and any rights to Stark Industries at all — since this, _this_ , was more than any omega could ever ask for, and way more than he'd ever thought his Father would be willing to give him. Well, it seemed that protecting the family name went even before his hatred for Tony and his gender, so he guessed he was lucky —, or furious that he was going to be forced to marry his childhood best friend, nowadays a self-centered bag of dicks, Rick Darrow. Or maybe he should be happy that it hadn't been Rick's older alpha sister, Amanda, who was going to be the one to take over the Darrow Industries after Chester Darrow. Amanda Darrow was even worse than her brother, or so Tony had heard.

Surprisingly, in the end he just felt numb.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaayy first chapter done and uploaded, the next one should be on its way this weekend or over the next week! :)
> 
> Hope the contract wasn't too boring? I quite enjoyed fabricating it. Btw is the summary for this fic okay? I know there's stuff in it that hasn't been yet mentioned in the fic itself, but I still wanna know if it was interesting at all. I don't like how it turned out XDD
> 
> Thanks for reading *bows to eternity*
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)


	2. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** RAPE/NON-CON, ABUSE AND UNDERAGE SEX (is it considered underage if they are over 16 y/o but under 20 y/o? putting this here anyways)

Tony graduates from MIT with two master’s degrees the year he turns nineteen. By that time, he's already figured out probably every loophole to the contract, spent nights after nights awake trying to come up with a way to wiggle himself out of this massive clusterfuck, and, so far, hasn't been able to think of even one qualified reason that would let him walk free. It's frustrating to say the least, and he locks the anger and the fear for his future somewhere deep within himself for later exploration.

Rick graduates the same year as him, and their wedding is held in the following summer. It's hot and it's unpleasant and it's everything that Tony hates. He hates the upper class mannerism that he has to keep up with the wedding guests, the fake smiles, the hollow laughter and the artificial pleasantries. He hates seeing the traditional alpha-omega couples where the omega stands quietly and submissively next to their alpha while they talk their head off. He hates his golden accessories and his traditional white dress suit, its collar cut so that it shows off the column of his neck, unmarred by any mating bite, telling everyone that he's pure and desirable.

They wouldn't be thinking that if they knew Tony's history. The partying, the alcohol, the one-night stands....Not that Tony'd ever been with an alpha, since a one-night stand with an alpha might always escalate to a mating bite. Sure, there for certain were alphas that would be 100% trustworthy of staying in control and respecting Tony's boundaries during sex. Tony just hadn't met any that he could be 100% sure were worth of that trust. Rhodey, yes, but that guy was like a brother to him. Also, while right now he wasn't technically breaking any clauses in his contract, since the faithfulness part had been worded in a way that implied it only being demanded once the marriage was in effect (like he'd said, _loopholes)_ , he was sure that a mating bite would be a breach of contract. So, his colorful one-night stand history consisted only of other omegas or betas, males and females alike. People that weren't so driven by their hormones or social conditioning to claim and hurt him, and who weren't physiologically capable of forming a mating bond with him.

Of course, even small amount of partying or any one-night stands were unacceptable for an omega, especially for an upper class omega, but Tony was a student and about to enter an arranged marriage and he couldn't give a crap.

So obviously, the PR wasn't always good, but it could've always been a lot worse. To the public, his little stunts that got featured in the media were just endearing, and soon he would settle with the mating bite from his alpha. It made him want to rip his hair out.

The wedding ceremony itself was long and dull as the priest rambled on about marriage and love and respect and the hierarchy of alphas, betas and omegas in society and in homes. The audience sang a few hymns in between the pauses the priest made, and Tony was made to stand there in front of everyone, facing Rick.

Over the little under three years since that moment in the Stark family manor living room, they had met many times in galas and festivities where they'd been made to pair up because of their now official engagement. Tony even had a diamond ring as a proof of that, although he only wore it if he was expected to attend some public or formal events because of his family name. Anyway, the relationship between Tony and Rick hadn't warmed up any since Tony was sixteen, even though they were now used to pretending the happy couple that everyone expected to see (even if they already knew that wasn't really the case).

Now though, Rick kept his gaze locked to Tony's, his mouth set in a slight smirk that seemed to be his trademark expression. Tony kept a straight face throughout the whole ceremony.

Finally, the part that everyone — except Tony — had been eagerly waiting for came. "Do you, Alpha Richard Terrence Darrow, take Omega Anthony Edward Stark to be your lawfully wedded mate, and promise to protect him and to provide for him, in good times and in bad, until death do you part?"

Rick's hazel eyes bore into his own honey brown ones, as the alpha answered the priest, "I do."

"Do you, Omega Anthony Edward Stark, take Alpha Richard Terrence Darrow to be your lawfully wedded mate, and promise to respect him and care for him, in good times and in bad, until death do you part?"

Tony felt his gut twist at the words and the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. He didn't want this.

Still, he swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, forcing his voice to stay even as he spoke the words that would end his life as he knew it, "I do."

 

* * *

 

The wedding night was no better than the wedding day.

The ceremony had ended with him and Rick exchanging rings and sharing a kiss on the altar, and then another hymn beginning as they walked out of the church along the aisle. Then it was time for the festivities, which were held in the ballroom of the Stark Mansion, where Tony listened to countless congratulations from the guests and to almost as much unwanted tips for life in marriage from other mated omegas attending the wedding. When one overly enthusiastic omega lady begun giving him tips on how to please his mate in bed and a younger male omega by his other ear tried to apply them to sex between two dudes, he felt like throwing up. He politely excused himself and went to get another flute of champagne from the waiter.

The only near normal people attending his wedding were a few beta couples. There were only a few of those, since upper class functions were often times reserved only for the alphas of the families, as they were seen as the best you could get. And where there were alphas, there were omegas. Or at least in the world where Tony lived in. Rhodey was also at the wedding, but Tony hadn't seen the young alpha in a while now.

"Congratulations, Tony. A good match, indeed." He flinches hard at the voice just an inch from his neck, nearly dropping his flute of champagne as he whirls around.

Obadiah Stane is standing there, a smug look plastered on his face. Tony rolls his eyes with a sigh. "That's what I've been hearing all night." Obie huffs out a laugh at him. He extends his hand past the omega to also grab a new glass of champagne.

Tony likes Obie, he really does, since he seems to be one of the only alphas in Tony's life that treat him with at least some level of respect. Usually he just gets clumped together with the other upper class omegas, with their pretty faces and empty heads.  _No offence,_ he's compelled to add silently in his head.

"Maybe there's some truth to it then," Obie says around the rim of his glass. "Now, come on, boy, let's go and entertain your guests."

So, he goes, and ends up entertaining guests for five long hours in total, meeting only once with Rhodey over the span of those hours, until Rick walks up to him and tells him that their driver will be taking them home in half an hour. To _their_ home. A stylish, newly renovated penthouse here in New York. Tony had visited it a couple of times beforehand, having been given the right to dominate their furniture, and the large windows showed an amazing view over New York. The sea could be seen from the Eastern side of the building, also. The apartment wasn't that far from shore.

So, they went through the guests again to say goodbye to everyone as a newly-wed couple, getting suggestive looks or eyebrow wiggles for their troubles. Every wink or giggle made more and more of cold sweat pool at Tony's palms and back. Why hadn't he just taken some alpha home with him so that this wouldn't be his first time with one?

The car ride to their home was uncomfortable. The elevator ride up was uncomfortable. The awkward way their luggage had been deposited inside the otherwise furnished apartment was uncomfortable.

What made it an eternity more uncomfortable, was when Rick said, "Come on, dear," giving him a dirty look over his shoulder as he walked towards their bedroom. Tony felt like throwing up for the second time that evening, but he followed his husband anyway.

"Listen, Rick, maybe we should just—" He was cut off by a vicious slap against his mouth. "Son of a _bitch!"_

"Shut up, Tony. We are doing this now," Rick responded in an even voice, all business, yanking and ripping Tony's expensive white silk off of his shoulders in one fluid motion. The way it ripped felt like it was meant to rip anyways, so he didn't really care. Instead he was more focused on keeping his cool as the reality of the situation began to set in.

Rick spun him around as he continued stripping Tony, not satisfied until the omega was completely bare before him.

"So, you just gonna ogle all night and not get rid of your own—" With a growl, the alpha pushed him against the bed, effectively silencing Tony once again, and threw his jet black suit jacket to the floor. He boxed Tony in with hands on either side of his head as he crawled on top of him. A dark, triumphant grin was fixed on his face.

"From this day on, no more talking back or bitching to me. You do what I tell you to do, and you do it when I tell you to do it. And you _will_ submit to me, my sweet omega." Rick's pupils were dilated and his breathing heavy, his alpha side taking over as he imagined god knows what he would do to Tony. What he  _could,_ now de jure, do to him.

Tony narrowed his eyes at the alpha leaning over him. "In your fucking dreams."

Rick just huffed out a laugh. "We shall see about that," he replied easily, surging forward to catch Tony's mouth with his. His kiss was bruising and hungry. Unforgiving, like the hands that were starting to snake around him, pulling him close and leaving dark bruises in their wake.

Then he was flipped over, and with no arousal to have him produce any slick, _oh god it hurt_. It hurt so much. And when Rick's orgasm finally shuddered through him, and the alpha's teeth sank to the tender flesh of his neck, breaking skin and mingling their scents, Tony let the scream he'd been holding in slip through his lips. Then, he mercifully blacked out.

And that's how Tony spent his wedding night.

 

* * *

   
Rick didn't want a baby to look after right away, so Tony was allowed to stay on suppressants, although Rick changed his prescription from his Father's supplements to the ones recommended by Tony's new doctor. Ones that didn't dampen his scent or stop his heats, just prevented him from getting pregnant.

Two and half years after their wedding, December 17, 1991, Howard and Maria Stark die in a car accident, alongside with Edwin Jarvis, long-term butler of the Stark family. Tony spends the following week mostly in bed, even managing to worry Rick to some degree, despite their more than hostile relations.

Rick is 22 when he becomes the CEO of Stark Industries, and Tony is 21 when he becomes the company's Advisor. Even though they disagree all the time, and even though every time Tony speaks his mind in a board meeting Rick beats him for it at home, they manage to run the company excellently, succeeding in expanding the Industries and multiplying their revenue. Obie helps them out a lot, as he's still working with the SI, and Tony's grateful for the years of experience he offers.

Six years after their wedding, when he's been a year off any kind of suppressants, aged 25 years, Tony still hasn't gotten pregnant. He has been off Howard's suppressants ever since the consummation of the marriage, has had a wonderful total of three heats over the span of a year and he's eating healthy and exercising, more out of Rick's orders than of his own free will. The alpha wanted the heir to be in top condition, and that unfortunately included making Tony take care of himself too.

Tony thought that his newfound infertility was due to the god knows what substances he'd been consuming in form of the heavy and cloaking suppressants that Howard had him on, or had something to do with the fact that Tony had been late to present and late in the development of his reproductive organs. Or maybe it was just the stress, or maybe it ran in the family. Maria's pregnancy hadn't been an easy feat either.

Or maybe it was Rick, who knows.

Truth is, Tony's happy about it. He doesn't want a kid. He'd be the worst parent. And Rick? Talk about worst. The only minuses are the added stress of losing the SI if, and when, the clause considering their child in the contract won't be carried out — the SI, which he'd found he genuinely enjoys running and working for, designing weapons and solving puzzles, alongside with being part of directing the company's interests and pissing Rick off — and the fact that Rick seems to be more and more prone to smacking Tony across the face when he blurts out something offensive (which really isn't all that rarely).

The years fly past, blurred by alcohol, inventing, verbal and physical fights with Rick, and Tony doesn't feel sorry for not getting knocked up. Even though the omega part of his brain makes him hate himself for being unable to give his alpha a child, the rational part is overjoyed about not getting the short end of the stick for once. Rick isn't happy, as expected — thus, neither of them is really happy. But you can't always have it all, right?

So, when at the age of 38, still not having gotten pregnant, he gets taken by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings, he decides to turn his steadily downwards spiraling life around and creates Iron Man in order to safe himself. His heart breaks once more when he hears that he'd been betrayed by the one man that he'd still considered family, a last attempt at getting his hands on the SI before Tony turned 40 and the company would belong to the Darrows by law, as was according to the contract. He kills Obadiah, and doesn't sleep properly for months afterwards.

He keeps his suits in the workshop beneath his and Rick's penthouse apartment, a little surprised that the alpha had actually agreed to letting Tony keep and continue to tinker on them (not that Tony would've been about to let Rick have his way, had that not been the case). Maybe he intends to win off some money from them, now that Tony had managed to shut down the weapons manufacturing with the combined votes from him, the board and the Chairman. Apparently what happened with Obie was enough bad PR for everyone except Rick.

Their life continues on as if everything was normal, Tony giving up hope to ever owning more than 30% of his own company, when he still doesn't get pregnant soon after his 39th birthday. In Afghanistan he'd mulled things over again, and begun to think that maybe a child wouldn't be that bad of a thing after all. At least then he'd had done one good thing in his life.

So, it's the most magical moment in his life when he one morning finds himself hunched over the toilet, puking his guts out, and after a visit to his doctor hears the words, "Congratulations, Omega Darrow, you seem to be expecting."

Tony doesn't even snap at him for using 'Darrow' instead of 'Stark' (even though both are his legal names), since he's too focused on keeping his sobs of relief contained.

 

* * *

 

Tony's pregnancy is hard. It's full of complications, like severe nausea, abdominal pains and extreme crankiness. He's weak and he can't eat, everything aches and Rick's being a dick. But at least he isn't hitting Tony, and even seems to be avoiding yelling at him, which is a big plus in Tony's book.

Pepper and Rhodey are a big help during the nine months. The beta and the alpha help him around the house, at work, offer to massage his feet from time to time, and just plain old spend time with him. Even Happy seems to be more enthusiastic to drive him around New York when he wants a specific decaf latte (decaf only because of the baby) from a specific coffee shop. Maybe it's the pregnant omega pheromones making their brain go into mother hen mode, or maybe they're just awesome. Either way, Tony doesn't complain.

Rose Margaret Darrow-Stark (Darrow-Stark, because Tony had wanted his daughter to have access to both family names) is born in the spring, May 19, 2010. It's precisely ten days before Tony's 40th birthday, when the ownership of Stark Industries would have completely moved to the Darrow family, no matter if Tony'd given birth to ten alpha heirs after that. Tony would've expected Rick to be angry at the fact, but instead he marvels at the wonder cradled in his omega's arms. Tony almost loves him in that moment. For giving him Rose. For caring for them. For the gentle look in his beautiful hazel eyes. Then he remembers the rapes, the abuse and the hateful words, and remembers that Rick is an alpha and Tony is an omega, and that Tony can never love Rick. So, he lets himself pretend, imagining them as a happy family for a small moment, and just almost loves Rick.

Just over three months after Rose's birth, Tony has to deal with Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer. And also, he's dying of palladium poisoning. Fuck his life.

 

* * *

 

Even after too many tests, Tony can't still be too sure that Rose's really okay. She'd been exposed to palladium for whole nine months that Tony'd been pregnant after all, a little while after that, too, when Tony breastfed her, but somehow she has made full recovery if she even ever was sick or dying. Tony had stopped breastfeeding the moment it had dawned on him that the palladium was poisoning his body, and then continued to sleep in the nursery floor in the fear of Rose dying while he was in bed the next room over. Rick had wondered about his odd behavior, but never asked, and Tony never told him.

Maybe the poisoning hadn't been that serious when he'd been pregnant? Or maybe he was just more vulnerable to poisons than she was? Maybe his body had been protecting Rose from the palladium? He didn't know, and it didn't make sense, so all Tony did was thank the heavens when Rose continued to develop normally, too quickly turning from baby to toddler as months passed. It was some time after she had turned two that Tony had to leave to help SHIELD with their problem with this glowing blue cube called the Tesseract. Pepper had offered to take care of Rose while he was gone, and the company was in his reach with one email to Rick or the board members.

On the helicarrier he meets this team of misfits. Nick Fury's super secret boyband. The Avengers. Which, he can never be a part of, at least as anything more than the consultant he already is, thanks to Alpha Romanov's evaluation on him and the ever-present fact that he's an omega. Everyone else on the team is either a beta or an alpha. Figures.

Also, _Steve fucking Rogers_. Tony can't believe that he's questioning his current opinion on the world's most infuriating person — and no, it's not Rick. Rick is the person he hates the most in the world — because, dear lord, does Rogers manage to wind him up.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that away and what are you?" he taunts Tony, circling him like he's prey, seemingly attempting to remind Tony that he's an alpha and Tony's an omega, trying to coax him into submission. But Tony's never been good with that. He didn't submit to Rick all those years ago, still hasn't, and he will for sure  _not_ submit to Captain America, either.

"Genius, trophy omega, billionaire, philanthropist." The words fall easily from his lips.

Rogers huffs at him. "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. And I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself." And, _oh_ , it stings alright. It stings and it hits Tony just where he's the most vulnerable, where he hates himself the most. The words keep pouring from Rogers' mouth and Tony has to break eye contact (which he detests himself for, because it's exactly what a traditional, submissive omega would do) because _damn_ Rogers's good at this. No wonder he'd been a captain and a praised strategist during the war. He  _knows_ where to strike, sees it clear as day.

Their fight escalates all the way until they are baiting each other for a brawl, Rogers insisting he put on the suit, but they are stopped by the helicarrier suddenly lurching downwards. Tony's and Rogers' eyes lock in the dim glare of the red emergency lighting.

"Put on the suit."

Tony doesn't even argue. "Yeah," he breathes out, and is secretly grateful for the hand that steadies him when he starts tilting to one side.

 

* * *

 

After Tony's sacrifice play, his and Rogers' relations warm up immediately. Tony doesn't know why, but seeing the Captain knelt next to him, laughing at his slightly incoherent rambling as he lies on the concrete after Hulk had caught him, makes something uncoil deep in his stomach. He's relieved.

So, the fight finished and the site cleaned up, they separate in good terms, Rogers even going as far as shaking Tony's hand despite his omega status. Tony feels like his eyes are about to fall out of his head, with how wide they are. After that, Tony takes off with his new beta friend, Doctor Bruce Banner AKA the Hulk, in order to show off the Stark Tower to him. He has high hopes that he'd get to house the Avengers in the tower, renaming it the Avengers Tower when he did, but that's still somewhere in the future.

When he gets to the penthouse, he gets an armful of his two girls as a greeting, smothering him with reassuring touches and kisses. Rose is openly bawling her eyes out and Pepper's not that far away herself. It brings tears to his own eyes as he thinks of the desperate moment in the confines of his suit, racing the nuke up into the wormhole —  _oh my god, Rosie, baby, Daddy's so sorry, sorry Peps, sorry Rhodey, sorry Happy... —_ and hugs his daughter tightly to his chest, keeping a hold of Pepper's hand as he does. Rick's at the other side of the country, having been away handling SI business, and won't be making it back home till the next day because of the disturbances in air traffic that the alien invasion has caused.

"It's okay, baby, Daddy's here," Tony tries to soothe the toddler. She and Pepper had most likely had the greatest of views out to the battlezone from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse. It would have surprised Tony more if Rose wasn't so shaken.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she settles, and Tony bounces her on his knee to get her to cheer up. Pepper had taken over the duty of making her (and Tony) an afternoon snack, and Tony listens to her clattering away in the kitchen. Rose is still mostly nonverbal, being only a little over two years of age, but with her genes Tony shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when she uttered up at him, "Luv Dada." It was garbled and simple, and Tony could've easily misunderstood the almost-sentence, but he thinks he got the meaning behind it just right.

"I love you, too, baby girl," he replies, kissing her soft chestnut hair.

 

* * *

 

Two months after the Battle of New York, the Darrow-Starks pack up and move to the Stark Tower, which is finally fully constructed and repaired from the damage it took during the invasion. Currently under renaming from 'Stark Tower' to 'Avengers Tower', the tower is the best place for them to live in for various reasons. Even Rick had agreed. The building holds many floors full of SI offices, R&D and conference rooms, and it's the best location for Tony to be in considering the whole Avenger business.

As Tony had become more and more invested in the Avengers Initiative (not a full Avenger, but all the same a team member), Rick's stance had grown even more against Tony taking any part in it.

_"It isn't an omega's place, Tony. Think about Rose. Think about your place here, in our home and in the SI. It's just going to bring us bad PR again."_

It had almost gone all the way to court when Rick hadn't been willing to comply, but when Nick Fury had intervened, directly contacting the other alpha, he had suddenly made a complete turnabout. Tony wasn't sure what the director of SHIELD had told his company's CEO, but it couldn't have been anything good, deducing from his reaction to it. Or, alternatively, it had been something _very_ good. It could be one or the other. Tony was satisfied with the outcome, no matter.

Their move went on without any hiccups, all done and finished in one day. Rick had packed up their shared study and bedroom, where as Tony'd packed everything from the kitchen and the nursery, as well as his own room. He'd long since taken residence in one of the guest rooms in their penthouse apartment, preferring the privacy because of his night terrors whenever possible. Some nights Rick wanted him to sleep with him in their bedroom, either to have sex or just clutch Tony against his chest to cover the engineer in his scent. Some alpha urge, he was sure. The mornings after a cuddle session were usually good, both of them lounging relaxedly in bed before they had to leave for work or go take care of their daughter, talking about whatever was going on around at work or at home, either both or the other flipping through a tablet or a cellphone as they did. They continued on with the habit in their new apartment in the tower too, although Tony still slept in his own room most nights.

Then, about five months later, around Christmas, the Mandarin happened. Tony was barricaded with a swarm of reporters as he spat threats at a camera, almost going as far as inviting the terrorist to his home door.  _Rosie,_ he had thought at last minute, and gave them his old address instead, the penthouse being still owned by him and Rick, but now mostly empty and the whole building uninhabited. He was extremely grateful for his decision when the building collapsed in on him, almost instantly after he'd gotten on the top floor to check if anybody had taken the bait.

He had summoned one of the suits still in the workshop beneath the penthouse floor, then flown a couple of miles before he'd been shot down to the sea. That's when JARVIS had taken over and in turn flown him all the way to Tennessee. From there he leaves a message to Pepper, trusting his long time personal secretary, nowadays a COO thanks to the promotion Tony'd arranged her two and a half years ago, the highest she could get within the company without being the CEO, and his dear friend, to get it and inform others that he was still alive and kicking.

With slight difficulties — slight being the understatement of the _century —_ he gets back home relatively unscathed. Rhodey had once again proven his worth as Tony's knight in shining armor, the president was safe and Pepper was making a good recovery from her Extremis experience. Rose had cried again because he'd been gone for too long to her (and Tony's) linking, and then cried even more when Tony was hospitalized after the surgery to remove his Arc Reactor. Tony felt agonizing guilt over what he perceived as ruining Rose's childhood.

Rick had been furious, as expected, and beat him black and blue where the bruises could be covered, then brutally had his way with him in the privacy of their bedroom. It was a sickening cocktail of fury, lust and instinct driven concern for his mate's well-being, and Tony hoped he'd never have to repeat it again.

It was a little over four months after that, Rose turning three and Tony turning forty-three, half a month after the fall of SHIELD, when the Avengers finally began, one by one, moving into the Avengers Tower. Tony was probably too enthusiastic about it, but it payed off when he got to see the awe on his teammates' faces when he showed them their personalized floors that his enthusiasm had caused him to design. He'd also added a common floor and a gym, so that they'd have some boding time every once in awhile. And working out was important, or so he'd heard.

He was happiest when Steve Rogers, their team leader, finally made his way to the tower with his beat up Harley-Davidson. He'd been deeply moved by Tony accommodating him and the rest of the team, and Tony almost felt modest when faced with the Captain's gratitude.

The day after Rogers had moved, Tony'd come down to the common floor with Rose, introducing her to Steve, who by now was the only teammate to not have seen her. She shied away a little at first, but when Rogers offered to draw a picture for her, she lit up right away and clung to the blonde the whole time afterwards that she and Tony spent with the team. Drawing was her currently favourite activity, as it was.

When the alpha flashed Tony a bright smile from where he was bent over a coffee table, drawing animals with the three-year-old, the omega couldn't help the combined surge of warmth and sorrow that went right through him. His mating bite twinged on his neck.  _This_ , was something that he wanted. And _this_ was also something he would never have.

That evening he was selfish, spending twice the time he usually spent in putting Rosie to bed, just so that he wouldn't have to be alone for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, angst and angst everywhere! D:
> 
> Hope that I don't seem like I'm hurrying to you guys. I myself prefer to get over the canon stuff as fast as possible, so that's why the story's been so summarized thus far. Next chapter, the pace will begin to slow, and we'll get to see some domestic Avengers, as well as some Steve/Tony moments. B-) Catch you next time!!
> 
> Comments, kudos? :)
> 
> [my tumblr](http://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)


	3. Basic Needs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised that I messed up some timelines in chapter 2 *author is cowering in a corner with tears of frustration glistening in her eyes*
> 
> It's nothing too major but it upsets me all the same. I'm not going to change it though, because now I have the story lined up like I wanted to. It just means that what happened in CA: The Winter Soldier happened one year earlier in this fic than in MCU (spring 2013 instead of spring 2014). That also means that Thor: The Dark World hasn't happened yet, and that we have a little while longer until we get to A:AoU. It might turn out to be a plus though, since now we will probably get to see more Stony fluff than originally planned.... XDD
> 
> Hope you enjoy this, regardless.
> 
>  _(Just to clarify:_ Chapter 3 continues from around where chapter 2 left off, and we are currently living year 2013. It's post-Iron Man 3 and post-Captain America 2, but pre-Thor 2!)

"Morning, Stark."

Tony jolts at the greeting, not having heard anyone entering the kitchen. It's around 4:30 AM and Tony had just emerged from his workshop to get some coffee from the common floor kitchen. Him and Rick were out of coffee grounds, as it was.

"Morning, Cap," he replies, not turning from where he's loading the coffee machine. He pushes the on button when he's ready.

"You're up early this morning," Rogers comments, moving over to grab the juice from the fridge. His shirt clings to his back with sweat and he's slightly out of breath. A morning run, then.

The team has been living under Tony's roof for a little over two weeks now, and the engineer is finally beginning to get accustomed to having neighbours this close to his own apartment (the closest being literally two flights of stairs down, if you didn't count the common floor). He's also starting to recognize some of his teammates' habits and routines, one being Rogers' inhumanly early morning workouts.

"Rather I'm up late, actually," he chirps at the alpha, staring at the dripping coffee as if that will make it brew faster. He hears the captain sigh at him.

"How are you still alive with your way of living?" he mutters, most likely more to himself than to Tony, putting the juice carton back in the fridge and taking a swig out of his glass.

"That, I wonder also," Tony tells him absently, not caring whether Rogers had been expecting a reply or not. They stand in the silent kitchen for a while.

"Is Alpha Darrow off to work already?" 

Tony's surprised that Rogers's asking, but doesn't let it show. He merely shrugs. "Yeah, I think he left around four or something. He's holding a conference in California, so he had to catch a flight. He'll be gone for a few days." He sees Rogers nodding from the corner of his eye. "How so?" he asks, finally breaking his staring contest with the coffee maker to have a look at Rogers.

"Huh?" Rogers replies brainily. "Uh, no reason, just wondering. How does Rose react to him being away? I mean, I don't want to intrude or imply anything, but the man seems to hardly be at home. I'm just wondering how she's holding up." The alpha looks extremely uncomfortable after his admission, shifting slightly on his feet and twitching his fingers around his glass. Their friendship is still tentative at best, and Tony figures that Rogers doesn't want to offend Tony and start another fight. They had gotten off the wrongest leg possible, after all.

Tony smiles crookedly at him. "I don't mind, Capsicle," that was a nickname he'd made up for the soldier one week ago, "you can ask that. It's nice to have someone else looking after Rosie too." Rogers blushes at that and, christ, isn't that adorable. "And she's holding up okay, I guess. She's used to it, and I try to compensate since I can do most of my work from home. She's though as nails."

Rogers actually chuckles. "I bet if she's related to you," he says good-naturedly, then apparently catching himself when a slightly horrified expression crosses his face at the somewhat backhanded compliment. Tony just laughs.

"Yeah, that's true, I guess." The coffee's finally ready and Tony grabs his mug and pours it full, taking a sip right away and cursing at his burnt tongue.

"What about you?" Rogers seems to have recovered from his slip-up. Tony turns to look at the blonde again. "I mean, how are you doing with your mate gone so often?"

Tony frowns at the question, confused that somebody's asking. "I don't mind it," he replies finally, deliberately leaving out that he actually prefers Rick being out of town rather than at home. The only thing he regrets about that is Rose seeing her Father less often. Rogers presses on,

"You sure? I hear it can be quite hard sometimes on mated pairs." Tony bites his tongue at Rogers' comment.

It's true, it's not always easy. Rick travels a lot and Tony has to stay at home with Rose, and sometimes the distance gets to him, leaving his body craving for the proximity and touch of his alpha, and reducing him to climbing into their shared bed to catch a whiff of Rick's scent. He also tends to get more emotional during those days, which Rose and her sharp senses of course take notice of, and the toddler can be quite a handful in her fussiest and crankiest state. It's purely biological and irrational, since Tony doesn't  _love_ Rick or even miss him when he's gone, and he hates his traitorous body for making him so dependent on another human being.

He doesn't answer Rogers' inquiry right away. "I can take it." Rogers smiles gently at him.

"I'm glad you have someone to lean on every once in awhile, Tony."

Tony just smiles and doesn't bother correcting Rogers. Let him have his beliefs that Tony's marriage is a happy and a consensual one. Also, he feels a little dizzy with warmth because Rogers had just called him 'Tony' instead of 'Stark', and he doesn't want to ruin the moment.

 

* * *

 

Rogers promised to make breakfast around 7 AM, so Tony takes a quick nap and wakes Rose up at 6:30, helping her change from pajamas into a floral dress and a light cardigan, combing her hair and adorning it with a small bow pin to keep at least some of it away from her face (when she had been smaller, Tony had used to dress her up in all kinds of headdresses, but nowadays it's usually just easier to pin the long locks back), then helping her on the potty and washing her face and teeth.

When the clock ticks a little over seven, they make their way down to the common floor, Rose sleepily clinging to Tony's neck. She's not really a morning person, very much like her Daddy.

"Hey," he greets everyone once he reaches the kitchen. Everyone echoes his word. Everyone except one.

"Hi," is what Romanov greets him with, coming near and taking a peek at Rose. Tony's still a little wary around the assassin, her lies still fresh in his mind, but the enormous, and more than shocking, enthusiasm the alpha has shown towards Tony's little girl has warmed Tony up for her. So, still a little stressed, but deciding it's the time to let go of the past, he pries the small hands off his neck and tentatively hands the kid to Romanov. The small break in the alpha's otherwise impeccable façade is mesmerizing, and she accepts Tony's ultimate show of trust with wide eyes.

"Maybe you'll get her to wake up," he says in way of an explanation, the lines of his mouth tight as he eyes Rose in Romanov's arms. The toddler just blinks curiously up at the owner of the new arms around her.

"Leave it to me, зайка," she replies, holding Tony's gaze firmly. Finally, Tony nods, and moves to sit down on one of the barstools by the kitchen counter. Everyone else on the team is staring at him, but they busy themselves with eating (Barton), swiping off with a tablet (Bruce) or cooking (Rogers) when they catch Tony noticing. Thor, on the other hand, seems to be oblivious to the whole spectacle that had just taken place before his nose, instead intently wolfing down his plate of Pop-tarts, followed closely by his mug of coffee. The Aesir is the only member of the team that doesn't fit in any of Earth's genders. They know that his sex is definitely male, but his gender just seems to be.....nonexistent. Maybe it's an alien thing.

Tony twist in his chair when he hears a happy squeal from behind his back. Romanov is playing with Rose, throwing and twirling her in the air as she giggles and tangles her tiny hand in the assassin's red hair. Tony feels the tension leaving his shoulders. A plate of scrambled eggs and toast is set before him.

"She's good with kids," Rogers comments, eyeing the two girls behind Tony. The omega hums, grabbing a fork and shoveling eggs into his mouth.

"I'm not even sure why I'm surprised at this point. Coffee?" Rogers nods and turns to grab the fresh pot from the machine and pours Tony a cup. Romanov settles on the barstool next to him with Rose on her lap.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," the toddler states, extending a grabby hand towards Tony.

"Are you now, sugar? Maybe if you'll ask Steve here really nicely then he'll fix you something. Okay, pup?" He eyes the kid, absently poking a finger to the extended hand and making sure she understood before taking a gulp of his scalding coffee.

"Okay...." Rose answers him slowly, turning her eyes from her Daddy to Rogers. "Can I have some breakfast, please?" she asks sweetly, even adding a flutter of her lashes as a final touch to her request.  _Daddy's girl,_ Tony thinks proudly.

"Of course, Rosie," Rogers replies, already scooping scrambled eggs on a plate with half a toast already on it. Tony grabs a banana from the nearby fruit basket and begins pealing. When Rogers deposits Rose's plate before her, exchanging a 'here you go' and a 'thank you' with her, Tony asks for a knife and a bowl. Steve hands him the items and Tony slices half of the banana into the small bowl, pushing it towards his daughter, and finishing off the rest himself.

"Anything going on today?" Barton asks the room at large, his breakfast plate balanced carefully in the hand that isn't holding his fork.

"Aye, I shall travel to see my dear Lady Jane," Thor answers brightly. The scientist seems to be one of the only things in whole wide universe that come before the blonde's love for Pop-Tarts.

"I've got some work to do," Bruce says and Romanov counters with a mysterious 'same'.

"Cap? Stark?"

"I've got nothing today," Rogers replies, finally having taken a seat himself and begun demolishing his huge pile of food. 

"I was thinking I'd take a day off today, go somewhere with Rosie. It's been awhile. Wanna tag along, Barton, that why you asking?"

 Barton grins at him. "Sure, I'll come with. Cap comin' too?"

Tony raises his gaze to look at the captain who looks uncomfortable at being put in the situation. "Sure, if he wants to," the omega finds himself saying. It seemed to be the right choice, as Rogers is once again settling down.

"I'd love to."

"I wanna go to Disney World," Rose interjects helpfully, mouth full of banana and toast.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth," Tony rebukes her. "And no, we're not going to Disney World." At the way Rose's face falls, Tony feels compelled to add, accompanied by a deep sigh, "Maybe some day, honey. But not today." It seems to placate her, and she tuns back to her plate. Tony cranes his neck to glimpse at Rogers and Barton. "I was thinking we'd go and see some playgrounds at the Central Park and visit the zoo as well. Then maybe get a bite to eat, later." The two give him approving nods.

They leave the tower at 9 AM.

 

* * *

 

"Rosie! Rose!" Tony yells.  _"Rose Margaret_ get your butt down from there!" He watches sharply as the three-year-old carefully lowers herself from a branch of a tree and back on to the jungle gym. Whoever responsible for the gardening and leaving a tree branch that near to a kids' play station has to be clinically insane. Tony'd certainly like to have a word with them about over-active toddlers and spine injuries.

"You named her 'Margaret'?"

"Yeah, like Aunt Peggy." Then Tony realizes who's asking. He whips his head around to see a melancholic look on Rogers' face.  _Right, of course._ He'd forgotten that Rogers knew Peggy also. He feels the need to shrug. "It's a beautiful name."

"Yeah, it is."

They turn back to look after Rose, now accompanied by Hawkeye who's making ridiculous noises to entertain the toddler perched on top of the jungle gym. She just seems confused at the beta's attempts, but amused in any case as she pushes herself over the edge and is caught by Barton's firm hands. 

"She sure enjoys Romanov's and Barton's company," Rogers observes, smiling at the two as Barton lifts Rose back up to the jungle gym.

"Yeah, she does. She enjoys yours and Bruce's company, too." Tony smirks at the slight blush creeping to Rogers' ears. "Thor is the funniest out of you all, though, because he 'speaks funny'." Rogers chuckles.

"Will she be going to preschool soon?"

"Yeah, this fall. Then she'll finally have friends her age." Rogers sneaks a look at the omega.

"You've done a great job in raising her so far," he praises, as if sensing Tony feeling guilty over Rose not having enough playmates. The omega feels himself flush in turn.

"Thanks."

"Daddy! Steve! Look!" Rose shrieks, running towards them with something in her hands. Barton jogs after her. "This is for you," she says, handing Tony a rock, "and this is for you!" she continues, giving Rogers one of his own. The confusion on the captain's face is priceless.

"Thanks, pumpkin," Tony tells her, appreciatively, and Rose turns back to Barton so that they can return to their play, grabbing his hand. Her chest is puffed out with pride that she had managed to find such fine gifts. Tony smiles gently at her back and lets the rock fall back to the ground; if he kept every rock and stick and pine cone the kid gave him, he'd already have a roomful. Rogers looks unsure what to do, and Tony laughs at him.

"You can just leave it. She'll forget about it in a minute. And if she doesn't, just say that it's somewhere safe." He winks at the alpha before turning to eye his daughter and the beta archer again. It was a good decision to take the day off.

 

* * *

 

The summers in New York can get quite hot sometimes, and the three men and one girl take a break from all the walking and playing around noon. They are seated on a bench near the zoo, which is their next destination, and Tony can't quite get Rose to settle since she knows that's where they are going next.

"Come on, baby, have a drink." He brings a water bottle to her mouth, one hand swiping dark strands of hair out of her face as he tries to prevent Rose from drying up. You never know with kids. One moment they are fine, running around the park with their friends, and the next they are in the throes of heat exhaustion because they didn't notice how thirsty they were in the middle of their game. Tony doesn't want that to be the reason they'd have to stop their day trip to Central Park. "You want a snack, Rose?"

She pulls her head away from the water bottle to answer, almost managing to get water all over herself. The water only ends up hitting Tony's jeans, thanks to the omega jerking the bottle back into an upwards position when he anticipates the toddler's move. "Yeah," she says, wiping at the droplets of water on her chin. "Please," she adds at Tony's expectant look.

The engineer pulls out the box of sandwiches he and Rogers had prepared for lunch from his bag. He hands Rose one and then passes the box over to Barton on his other side.

"Thanks," Rose says, attention wholly on the piece of food. Tony quirks an amused brow at the kid.

"You're welcome." 

They finish their sandwiches leisurely, although Rose keeps whining at them to hurry up right after she's ready eating, anxious to get to the zoo. Tony calmly tells her to sit down and wait or they'll go home, and she does, pouting at the threat to everyone's amusement. When they  _('finally',_ according to Rosie) start towards the direction of the zoo, she immediately brightens up and scrambles from the bench to get a head start.

At the entrance, Tony tells her to take his hand. There's lots of people at the zoo, and he's a little uncomfortable with crowds. He fears he'll lose the sight of Rose or that she'll get taken, especially with Tony's status as a public figure. Perhaps he's just paranoid (although he thinks it's at least somewhat justified, given Tony's history), but he anyway pushes his sunglasses further up his nose, keeping a firm hold on his daughter's small hand. Rogers seems to notice his unease, either from his body language of from his scent.

"Hey," he gets the omega's attention. "Me and Clint are here if something goes wrong."

Tony doesn't usually appreciate it when an alpha offers to help him. It makes him bristle, bringing up memories from his behavioral camps about avoiding being that helpless omega at all costs. It also makes him feel weak, as if getting help meant that he wasn't good enough as it was. But when it comes to Rose, he's willing to swallow his pride. Also, Rogers hasn't given off the impression of being one of those arrogant and patronizing alphas Tony's had a little too much experience in dealing with.

"Yeah," is what he ends up replying.

 

* * *

 

"A leopold!" Rose near screams from where she's sitting on Barton's shoulders, pointing towards the feline in the exhibit area. Tony has to stifle a chuckle at the toddler's expense.

"A leopard, sweet cheeks," he corrects her, and she parrots the correction with her earlier tone. They'd saved the big cats last and were going to head off to find some café next. They'd decided to have dinner at the tower, but Tony was aching for some caffeine and Barton had promised Rosie ice cream, earning a glare from the omega for his troubles. The beta had just grinned back without shame.

"Should've brought a sketchbook," Rogers ponders out loud, sounding a little disappointed. He keeps eyeing from Rose on Barton's shoulders to the snow leopards, even to Tony from time to time.

"You wouldn't have had the time. That kid is a damn lightning bolt when she sets her mind to it. And likes wrecking havoc, as well." Steve laughs.

"Yeah, I've noticed. I could've done some quick sketches, though. I'm quite good at capturing moving targets." The alpha smiles down at Tony, and the omega feels the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"Next time, then."

Rogers seems happy with his answer, his smile widening a bit. "Yeah, next time."

Twenty minutes later, they are standing in front of a nice-looking café, Rose crowding their legs in anticipation of the ice cream Barton had promised her. They enter, Tony sighing with pleasure at the air conditioning of the coffee shop. He's never liked it when the weather gets hot and humid. Warm? Yes. Scorching? No. It reminds him of that one hot summer day in 1989 and of the desert he'd experienced in 2008. Also, the stickiness it causes is unpleasant.

They split up, Barton and Rose taking off to find them a table, and Tony and Rogers walking to the line leading to the cashier, so that they can give their orders. Tony is paying, although he'd almost lost it when on their way to the shop Rogers had been insisting he'd do the paying. The omega was grateful for the captain's consideration, and tried to remember that the soldier came from a different era — one where it would've been outrageous to let an omega pay for themselves — but when the alpha still wasn't willing to understand where Tony was coming from — that he didn't need an alpha to take care of him, especially when it came to money, thank you very much — he'd begun all out arguing with Rogers. That was when Rogers seemed to get that Tony wasn't going to budge, and that this was a matter that would best be left to be, thus he'd relented, even apologizing to the omega. It was obvious that Rogers wanted to keep their budding friendship intact, even if it meant not being able to follow through with all of his principles. Tony'd calmed down with a huff, and Barton had just rolled his eyes at them, guiding Rose along with a hand on her small shoulder.

And yeah, Tony was willing to admit, it was a stupid thing to argue about. They were now in line, and Tony was about to apologize in turn for getting all hot under the collar to the alpha standing a little behind him, but he was halted by a woman standing before them in the line.

"Hello, gorgeous," she wheedled at him, body turned all the way around to speak to Tony, her obvious alpha scent making his nose twitch. "You want something from over there? My treat."

Right. This was exactly what he needed right now. "Yeah, no thanks, hon."

"Aw, come on, baby. I'll take good care of you if you come over and let me buy you something." Tony felt a shudder run down his back. God, he hated dealing with these kinds of situations.

"Sorry, but I've got company," he tried to rationalize to her, smiling without it reaching his eyes, knowing better than being rude. Alphas weren't good with 'no's, so their fall back to Earth had to be carefully cushioned. Otherwise it could always get ugly.

"Oh, friends? They as cute as you?" she went on, regardless, flashing her white teeth at him. Tony furrowed his brow at her.

"I don't know, are they?" he asks, stepping back and leaning into Rogers space. Yeah, because doing so was _totally_ not being rude or bratty. So much for cushioning.

The other alpha's eyes narrow dangerously, eyes flickering from Rogers' face down to Tony's throat where his mating bite was on display.

"Could've just said you were mated," she tells him, irritated, and as she turns Tony hears a distinct sound of her uttering the word 'bitch', but he isn't hundred percent sure. His guess is confirmed though, when Rogers surges forward, his super soldier senses catching the word with ease.

"You—" the blonde starts, but Tony stops him with a hand on his abdomen.

"Let it go, Steve," he says, trying to cool off the situation with the use of Rogers' first name. It does the trick, and with a downwards glance at Tony, one last withering look at the alpha female's back, he sighs and backs down.

After paying (after  _Tony_  paying for all, just to be clear) and getting their drinks — an Americano with an extra shot of espresso for Tony, a dark roast coffee with skimmed milk for Rogers, a frappé topped with whipped cream for Barton and a small strawberry sundae for Rose — they walk deeper into the shop to find the other two.

"Sorry, Tony," Steve breaks the silence between them as they near their table. "I get it now why you didn't want me to pay for the drinks. I'll think twice next time before trying to force my opinion on you." Then he's speeding off to hand Rose her sundae, whom by now is making eager grabby hands. Tony's left in stunned silence. He's so baffled that he even forgets that he'd been planning to apologize to Rogers, too.

Still, he feels his cheeks heat at the alpha's admission, an involuntary happiness taking over him.

He should take a day off more often.

 

* * *

 

The next day, he's curled up against the backrest of the couch in his and Rick's apartment, doing work on his tablet. Rose is on the floor before the couch, playing with her colorful spacecraft toy set. She keeps occasionally sending a spaceship or an astronaut flying across the room, just to run off to retrieve the toy and then send it back after ten minutes. Maybe she's sending them to space in her play by doing so. Tony isn't sure, but at least the toddler seems to be enjoying herself so far.

 _"Sir, Captain Rogers is asking for permission to enter your floor,"_ JARVIS informs him when Rose is in the middle of another throw. He feels his eyebrows climb up on his forehead.

"Tell him to come in," he replies, lowering the tablet so that he can peer in the direction of the elevator and the door to the stairs. Soon, he sees Rogers emerging from the staircase, ever the athlete.

"Steve!" Rose pipes up, running towards the alpha with a spaceship in hand.

"Hi, peanut," Rogers replies, catching the kid mid-step and balancing her on his arm.

"Look at my spaceship." She shows the captain her toy, turning it clumsily in her hands as the alpha walks towards Tony and the couch.

"That's a nice-looking spaceship," Rogers tells her and she flashes him a bright smile. She turns her head towards her Daddy.

"Daddy, when I'm big can I become an....an a...."

"An astronaut," Tony fills in.

"Yeah," she says, giving up on pronouncing the word. Tony smirks up at her.

"A what now?"

"An....an astronauttt," she clarifies, frowning as she takes extra care with the consonants. Tony's eyes flick back to the tablet in his hands.  _If you present as an omega, then no, you can't._ But he doesn't tell her that.

"Of course you can, sweetie," he says instead. Rose lets out a happy 'yay' at his answer, and Rogers lowers her to the floor so that she can continue to play.

"Hey," he greets Tony, taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch. It's Rick's chair, but Tony thinks that Rogers fits better in it. Shame and guilt flood his mind instantly at the thought. Why would he think that Rogers was a better fit for Rick's armchair than Rick? God, he's messed up. He sighs mentally.

"Good afternoon, Cap. What brings you to my humble abode?" Rogers rolls his eyes at Tony's antics, since Tony's abode is anything but humble, much like the whole tower.

"Just wanted to talk.  And check if you've eaten today. After all, I _did_ get the impression that you like to skip meals." It's Tony's turn to roll his eyes. Yesterday at dinner with the team Rose had let loose that her Daddy 'didn't eat dinner' when Bruce had come to the living room to inform that the vegetable masala was ready. Which, he of course  _did,_ but obviously not often enough that Rosie thought it was habitual. But now that he thought of it, he did often end up only cooking for the toddler and then himself just focusing on getting the girl to actually eat it. Sometimes there was just too much everything else interesting to keep her focus on finishing her plate without outside intervention.

"I  _do_ eat, if that's what you were wondering. Plenty, too."

"You've eaten today? Coffee doesn't count."

Tony didn't answer the inquiry.

Rogers sighed. "Sit tight, I'll make you something. Has Rose eaten?"

"Yeah, but she could eat again in an hour or so." Then he looked up, frowning. "Huh? You're making me food?" He watched as Rogers' back disappeared into the kitchen. "Hey, Steve, wait!" Because apparently 'Steve' was what he was calling him now. He scrambled up and hurried after the alpha. "You don't have to cook for me, I can cook for myself."

"I know you can, but apparently you won't, so I'm taking over."

"Steve—"

"Tony," Rogers cut him off with a sharp look. "It's not an alpha thing. You're a part of my team, so it's my duty to take care of you." At Tony's dubious look, he sighs again. "I help out Natasha with her workouts and training and Clint I help with his relaxation exercises that his therapist gave him. Sometimes, Thor and I try to figure out things like the Internet together and Bruce....well, Bruce I really can't help with anything other than cooking when he's doing it, since he takes care of himself and I don't know half the words that come out of his mouth when he's talking about his work. But you get my point, right?" He finishes, searching Tony's face. "I wanna help my team members. And that entails helping you. Which apparently consists of taking care of your basic needs, like eating and sleeping...—"

"Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah," Tony interrupts, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't used to anyone taking care of him, at least not like this. Sure, when he'd been in his twenties Rick had ordered him on a strictly healthy diet (which he might've cheated on a few times) and an exercise plan back when they were trying to have a baby, but that was different. Now, it was Rogers actually about to  _cook a meal_ for him. And wasn't that weird? Tony remembers seeing Rick cook precisely three times for him during their 23-year — this summer 24-year — marriage. Tell you one thing; Rick did  _not_ know how to cook.

Tony sighed. "Okay, fix me a plate of something. Rosie had soup for lunch a couple of hours ago, and she'll probably be hungry by the time you're ready, so go ahead and make enough for her, too." Rogers smiles at him. 

"Thanks, Tony."

He feels himself blushing. "Why are you thanking me? You're not supposed to be thanking me. It's the other way around." He pauses briefly, awkwardly. "So, thanks," he continues, lamely, and exits his kitchen. "And don't break anything!" he calls back when he's out the doorway, and hears Rogers bark out a laugh at the comment.

 

* * *

 

Rogers makes them spaghetti carbonara and ends up finishing the panful together with Tony and Rose. He insist that he'll help Rose with the pasta, so that Tony can eat, because Tony hasn't eaten anything since last night, and  _god_ can the man be a menace with all that mother henning!

Anyway, Tony gets to eat in peace as he watches the captain struggle with hacking up the pasta into smaller bits and attempting to somehow get it into Rose's mouth. _A dinner and a show,_ the omega thinks with a smirk.

When they're done eating, Tony gets Rose to help him clear the table and commands Rogers to pick a wine bottle from the cabinet. He grabs two glasses and heads to the living room with the alpha following hot on his heels. Rose is already off to her room to find something new to play with.

Tony places the glasses to the coffee table and takes the bottle from Rogers. "You drink?" he asks, gesturing with the bottle that he's in the process of opening. The other man nods and Tony pours him a glass, then one for himself. He sits down to the couch and swirls the contents of his glass carefully, the motion reminding him of his Mother. It's nearing 6 PM but there's still plenty of light streaming through the windows, although now starting to tint slightly towards orange.

"Thanks for the meal," he says absently, just to fill the silence. Rogers nods from his spot in the armchair.

"Anytime."

They end up talking about the team, Rose and their day at Central Park yesterday, enjoying the wine as they do. Sometime around 6:30 PM, just when Tony'd begun wondering what Rose was up to, the child makes her way to the living room, first showing Tony a picture she made, then walking up to Rogers and showing it to him, too, albeit a little more shyly. Tony had been wondering whether she was manifesting some sort of hero worship towards the captain. Well, he couldn't blame Rose. Tony'd been probably just as bad, or even worse, with his Captain America admiration when he'd been a kid.

"That's a very pretty snow leopard you've got there, Rosie," he hears the alpha tell his kid. Rose beams at him.

"Thank you, you can have it," she singsongs before running back to her room, probably to draw some more animals from the zoo. Tony watches as Rogers looks over the drawing again.

"I couldn't even tell it was a snow leopard," he admits, smiling over his glass at the alpha. Rogers smiles back at him.

"You've got a wonderful daughter."

Tony lets the smile on his lips warm up a notch, and catches Rogers' cheeks reddening slightly. Maybe it's the wine, he thinks, although he knows that Rogers has a super soldier metabolism. It can't be the wine.

"Yeah, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> зайка = 'darling' in Russian
> 
> Finally, we've got some fluff and Tony being happy for once *_* Gotta warn you, though, Rick's coming back home next chapter..... :P boo
> 
> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)
> 
> P.S. I've explained some stuff about the timeline of my fic in the notes above, so if you're feeling confused/unsure about it after this chapter then please check my explanation out! :)


	4. Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys & thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!! Sorry for not replying to all of them, I hadn't had the energy :(
> 
> Also, sorry that this update is so late! I hope you enjoy reading anyways
> 
>  **Mind the warnings and tags before reading this chapter!** We are getting some dark moments in chapter 4 to balance out the happy moments in chapter 3 :(

"Hey," Rick says, stepping up behind Tony and boxing him between his chest and the kitchen counter, his nose buried in the omega's thick hair. It's a few minutes till 12 PM, and Rick has just gotten back from another trip for SI. This time he was gone for a little under five days for some prolonged negotiations in Seattle.

"Hey," Tony says back, the omega in him purring at the attention his alpha is showering him with. His hands are full of clean plates he'd taken from the dishwasher to put into the cupboard, and he sets them down on the counter top. It's been a few weeks since Tony, Steve, Clint and Rose visited Central Park, although the memory is still fresh in the engineer's mind. Since then, everyone in the team has shifted to first name basis, Tony preferring to use his teammates' given names even in the privacy of his own mind.

It has been a nice few weeks, all in all.

The omega twists around between his alpha and the kitchen counter, turning to face Rick. The alpha's eyes look tired, he's sporting a slight stubble on his usually clean-shaven jaw and his tie is crooked. Tony extends his hands to unfasten it, leaving it dangling open from both sides of Rick's neck. "How was the trip?"

Rick sighs at him, hands moving from the counter to hold onto Tony's hips, thumbs rubbing small circles against his hipbones. "It was fine, I got Anderson to  _finally_ sign that damn deal we've been trying to get for god knows how many months. We pulled an all-nighter so we could discuss the terms in-depth." He scrubs a hand over his face. "I'm exhausted, thanks to that."

Tony purses his lips. "Get to bed, I'll finish up here and come right after." They usually slept in their bed together after the other had been away, trying to settle their minds and scent each other after being apart. Again, a purely biological urge because of the mating bond they shared, but nevertheless a real one.

Rick flashed his trademark smirk down at him. "I'll be gone in a minute," he said. He bent his head down to kiss the omega, breathing in his sweet scent deeply. Tony returned the kiss, leaning leisurely against the counter. Moments like this were good, they were meant to be treasured. Moments like this when they didn't fight, or they didn't remember the mutual disdain and hatred they held towards each other, or the bitterness that had mustered along the years. This was good, this was home, this was his mate, and even though Tony hated thinking that, it was the truth. And it wasn't going to change.

After a moment, the clock ticking past 12 PM, Rick pulls back. "I brought something for you. A souvenir, if you will," he says, pulling a small box from his pocket. They sometimes gave small (or not so small) gifts to each other, ranging from objects riddled with derogatory double-meanings (like Rick spitefully ordering Tony a S&M kit one Christmas or Tony giving Rick a packet of Viagra for his 40th birthday in front of his parents and his three siblings) to actual gifts, usually on the expensive side (like Rick buying Tony another car for his 35th birthday or Tony getting Rick diamond cufflinks for one of their foundations' charity galas that they'd hosted together last year). What can he say, they were a real messed up couple.

"Happy 24th anniversary," Rick says, opening the box and presenting Tony a beautiful golden necklace. The chain was slim and delicate and it had a small, thin plate attached to it in the middle, so that it would rest just an inch beneath the hollow between Tony's collarbones. Tony was about to wish Rick the same, although he hadn't gotten the alpha a gift, but then he took another look at the small plate. On its surface, carved with a precise and loopy font, was the name 'Richard'.

"The fuck is this?" he asks angrily, shoving Rick further from him. "You got me a freaking  _collar_ with your name on?! Fuck you!" he spits at Rick's slightly confused expression (only slightly, since Rick knows Tony well enough by now that he hadn't expected a necklace with his own name to go down well. Maybe he just hadn't anticipated that Tony'd be  _this_ mad about it). As Tony watches, the alpha's expression starts to grow more and more angry by the minute.

"This is what omegas nowadays wear, Tony!" he barks back at the shorter man. "And I want you to wear one, too." He takes the piece of jewellery out of the small black box. "Now, put it on."

Tony stares at him, eyes wide. He scoffs. "Like hell I will! I'm already wearing a damn ring for fuck's sake." He dearly hopes that Rose is in too deep of a sleep to wake up to hearing her parents yelling at each other, especially with the amount of swearwords Tony's utilizing.

"You never fucking _wear_ it! You just say that you'll 'get motor oil on it' or some shit. Well, you can't get motor oil on a necklace unless you're going to dunk into a damn container full of it!"

Tony takes a steadying breath. "I'm not wearing it," he states, voice wavering with anger and repressed emotion. So much for a good moment.

Rick punches him.

"You  _will_ fucking wear it, Tony. This isn't a discussion." Actually, most of their discussion weren't actually discussions. They were either negotiations or debates about SI, outright fights with the two almost literally at each others' throats, Tony bitching about something to Rick or Rick ordering him around. Which, for the record, was in his rights, as Tony's, an _omega's_ , alpha. Even the law said it, although with good attorneys or the right judge that could _sometimes_ be bypassed in court.

So, Tony was obliged to wear a fucking necklace if Rick wanted him to wear it. But it didn't mean that Tony was going to do it without at least putting up a proper fight. He wasn't the one to just roll over and take everybody's shit.

"Is it ever a discussion with you, Rick?" he asks, voicing his earlier thoughts, hand on his cheek where Rick had made a small cut with his ring. _Motherfucker._  "It's always just you bossing me around since you can't have a talk with an _omega_ like a normal person." He says 'omega' with such scorn that he feels bad himself. Rick grasps his jaw harshly, gripping it with bruising strength. He's stronger than Tony, being bigger and being an alpha in general, and they both know it.

"You will wear it, or I'll take you to our bed and make you  _scream,_ and afterwards you will still wear it." He lets go of Tony's face, but doesn't break their eye contact. "I would hate for Rose to wake up to your cries." The words make Tony flinch, his instincts going haywire as they scream at Tony to submit to his alpha and to fight the threat — his alpha — to protect his child. Rosie comes first, always, and Rick knows it. Tony watches as the alpha smirks at his reaction, sensing and smelling and plain old  _seeing_ the effect his words had on his mate. He bends near Tony's ear to whisper,

"Put it on, darling."

After a beat, when Tony still doesn't budge, Rick grabs his wrist. Tomorrow there'll be an imprint of his hand circling it, Tony's sure.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, Tony. Either the necklace now or after you've made Rose cry her eyes out."

Tony can't believe this is what their relationship has come down to. Sure, they'd never been in good terms, but Tony can't believe his ears, can't believe what he's hearing just now. Was this the same man that had been watching Rose with all the love in the world that day three years and some months ago when she'd been born? How could he use their little girl against Tony like this?

But, Rose came before everything to Tony. Of course Rick would learn to exploit that. Thus, with an angry and a little too shaky inhale for his liking, Tony yanked the golden chain from Rick's awaiting hand. He tried to clip it closed around his neck, but his hands were shaking too much from anger, frustration and the full-body sobs that he was trying his hardest to prevent from happening in front of his husband. Rick gently turns Tony around and finishes fastening the necklace.

"There," he says,  _lovingly,_ and presses close to kiss the mating bite on the side of Tony's neck. "Good night, Tony." Then he leaves with a victorious chuckle, having won a round in their never-ending battle for dominance.

When Tony hears the bedroom door closing, he lets a sob escape, muffling the one following the first with his hand as the other seeks support from the counter top before him. He slams his palm hard against the marble in his anger. God, he hates this.

 

* * *

 

"What's up with your face?" 

He glances up from his coffee mug. Clint's staring right at the side of his face.

"Slipped in the damn shower and banged my face against the faucet." He ponders for half a second whether his explanation had been too long, too detailed to pass as the truth, but relaxes when Clint's face morphs into a sympathetic expression of pain.

"Ouch, dude." 

"Tell me about it."

It's not like most of his teammates don't know that Tony's marriage was an arranged one (it is mostly public knowledge, after all, even if the contract considering it isn't), and it's not like this is the first time Tony's ever had a bruised face because of Rick (hell,  _Rick_ has had a bruised face because of Tony for a couple of times, even), but he still doesn't think they need to know every detail of their relationship. He doesn't want their pity and they can't help him either because of the contract.

Tony snaps back to reality when he feels eyes on him. He catches Natasha watching him thoughtfully. Her face is a perfect imitation of a marble statue, and somehow it makes Tony think that she knows what's really going on. And he wouldn't be surprised, because the alpha is sharper than a razor blade and observant as hell. But he also trusts Natasha to understand and leave the matter be. She holds his gaze for a moment before lowering her eyes to her tea. Yeah, Tony could trust her to keep it quiet.

"Morning," Steve greets the three Avengers in the kitchen as he walks in, fresh from the shower. It's 6 AM and Bruce and Thor haven't still left their floors, but the two ex-SHIELD agents and the captain are all early risers, and Tony....well, Tony's sleep pattern was rubbish anyway. He'd gone to bed (in his own room, thank you very much) around 1 AM and then fallen asleep closer to 3 AM before waking up covered in cold sweat. Rose and Rick had still been sleeping when he got up and got down to the common floor.

He was just about to glance at the clock and wonder when he should go and wake Rosie up, when a hand touches his chin. He flinches  _hard,_ sending his half-empty coffee mug clattering, not shattering, thank god, against the counter, probably scaring the crap out of the other three as he did. Clint and Steve were staring at him with wide eyes, the latter's hand still slightly extended towards Tony, and Natasha had a somewhat grim but a knowing look on her face.

"Uh, woah, spooked me over there for a moment, Cap," Tony tries to salvage the situation, heart racing, but Steve already has a dark look to his otherwise bright eyes. The Captain wasn't stupid, after all, and Tony's flinch with a bruised cut on his cheek were clues good enough.

"I want you to give me a very good explanation to what _exactly_ happened to your face, Tony," he tells the omega calmly, although Tony can hear the low rumble of his alpha side growling as he speaks. It makes Tony's hands tremble, and he clasps them together.

"I, uh, I tripped."

"I thought you said you hit your face on a faucet," Clint interjects, unhelpfully. Tony turns his wide eyes from the alpha to send a quick glare in the beta's direction.

"I told you I tripped  _in the shower_ and then hit my face on a faucet, birdbrain." He looks at Steve again, but the blonde doesn't look like he's buying Tony's story. Not one bit of it.

"JARVIS," he calls, "is Alpha Darrow in the tower?"

_"Yes, Captain Rogers. Master Darrow arrived yesterday at 11:53 PM."_

"That's it," Steve growls, furiously exiting the kitchen with an almost equally furious Clint right behind him. Natasha remains seated, anticipating what's about to happen.

"Hey, Steve, Clint," Tony tries, but to no avail. He starts panicking when the two near the elevator and the staircase. "JARVIS! Lockdown on common floor!" he screams and instantly the lights flicker off, replaced by dimmer emergency lighting, and the doors to the stairs don't give an inch when Steve yanks at them.

 _"Tony!"_ the alpha yells at him furiously, and boy, doesn't that make all the hairs on his body stand on end. It's frightening, and Tony's omega side starts immediately begging for Tony's alpha to come and save him, even though Tony's rational side knows that he's completely safe here with Steve. Probably even safer than he'd be with Rick one floor up.

"You can't do anything, okay!" he exclaims, trying to get his point across before the two force him to cease the lockdown. "We are married, so he isn't breaking any laws and we have a contract that means that I can't get rid off him without losing everything, alright?" Tony's slightly out of breath from all the adrenaline, and he watches Steve and Clint standing there with confused looks on their faces.

"What contract?" Steve grits out. Tony swallows.

"Our premarital agreement." He sees Steve's fists tightening. He sighs. _Guess we're doing this now_. "JARVIS, pull up a copy."

 _"Certainly, Sir."_ JARVIS displays a holographic scan of the contract and Tony watches in silence as his teammates read through it. Even Natasha ventures from the kitchen to join with the reading. Tony doesn't have to. He knows the contract by heart, could recite it from word to word if needed.

When he's finished reading, Steve's face crumbles. "Oh, Howard, how could you....?" Tony hears him ask softly, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Tony's heart aches at the sight.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Clint exclaims angrily. Natasha places her hand on his shoulder.

"Clint," she tries to calm him.

"No, I want to know what this is," the archer continues, not relenting. "I knew that your marriage was arranged but this? Who the hell even does agreements like this anymore?!"

Tony crosses his arms over his chest. Usually, it would make him feel like he was confident and in control of the situation, but now the motion just makes him feel small. He uncrosses them. "Clint, it's fine. The contract is almost thirty years old."

"No, it's not okay!"

"Clint," Natasha says again, this time more forcefully, a little bit of her alpha mojo coloring her voice. It makes the beta deflate slightly, and he lets out an angry puff of air.

"Is there anything we can do?" Steve asks, seemingly recovered from the revelation that is Tony's premarital agreement. He still looks angry, but a lot more calm than a moment ago. Tony bites his lip.

"No," he says, because it's the truth. "And I don't want you to try. Trust me, if anyone knows all the loopholes in this contract, it's me, and I would be long divorced if it were possible." He breathes in a steadying breath. "But it's not. Not if I don't want to lose everything that I have. Including Rosie's custody."

Steve's mouth has thinned out into a tight line, and his eyes are trained hard on the floor. His fists are wavering slightly with tremors caused by pursing them too hard. "That bastard," he swears softly. Tony doesn't know exactly whom the captain is cursing, and he's to occupied with the fact that  _cap just swore._ Maybe Tony just managed to break the man by telling him about the contract.

"Tony?"

"Huh?"

Steve sighs before repeating what he'd apparently just said. "Why did he hit you?"

Tony huffs softly, looking to the side as he tries to avoid answering. "We fight all the time, Cap. It's nothing unusual." When he sees the stormy expressions returning on Steve's and Clint's faces, he hurries to soften the blow of his words, "I mean, the fighting. Not the hitting. I mean, no, this isn't the first time he has punched me--" okay, Stark, this isn't helping your case the least, "--but hey, I have punched him too, you know. Plus, it's not like he's really breaking any laws."

"He has to be. It's domestic violence," Steve interjects. Tony grimaces at the word.

"No, he isn't. You see, I'm an omega, he's an alpha, and we are legally married and mated. He basically owns me and all of my property. It's only because of that agreement that I own 30% of the company, fully without his jurisdiction."

Steve sighs and cards his fingers through his short hair. Tony looks ruefully at the man and the pained expression on his face. He doesn't know how to comfort him.

"JARVIS, you can loose the lockdown. I believe no one is going to attack my husband now." From his peripheral vision, he sees Steve cringing at the word he's using to describe Rick. Well, it took a while for Tony to get used to as well. Plus, it's the truth.

_"Very well, Sir."_

The lights flicker back on.

"I'm going to the gym," Clint grits at them and strides to the elevator. Natasha glances over her shoulder at Tony, and then follows Clint into the elevator. The doors slide shut.

"--I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Tony says after a moment of tense and awkward silence.

"Why didn't you just tell me? I told you that I wanna take care of you and help you."

Tony rubs a hand over his face. "Like I said, there's nothing anyone of you can do. The contract is still valid, and that's a fact that's not changing anytime soon."

"Still," Steve presses, walking to stand before the engineer. Tony resolutely stares past him at the wall. "It matters that I know, even if you think that I can't help." Rogers clasps his shoulder. "Tony?" he asks for confirmation that his words have been heard.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony replies him, shaking the alpha's hand off and walking back to the common floor's kitchen. He grabs a paper towel and starts mopping up the coffee he'd spilt earlier.

"I mean it," Steve clarifies from the other side of the counter, having followed Tony to the kitchen. "I'll do everything in my power to help you out. And Rosie."

Tony softens at the mention of his daughter. "Thanks," he says softly, instead of arguing that he doesn't need help. Steve nods and moves to start cleaning the counter from dishes used in their abandoned breakfast.

"So," Steve says when they are done loading the dishwasher. The alpha clicks the hatch closed. "You didn't tell me what you were fighting about earlier. The reason he gave you that mark on your face?"

Tony sighs because apparently the captain isn't just going to drop the subject. He fishes out his new necklace from beneath the collar of his t-shirt, using his index finger. "This." Steve bends closer to take a hold of the small plate and read the even smaller print on it. Tony chest feels somehow tighter at the sudden proximity.

"'Richard'," Steve reads the name out loud. Tony shrugs.

"It's what the omegas nowadays wear. Or, so I've heard."

Steve lets go of the necklace and takes a small step back to give the omega some space.

"Let me guess. You didn't want to wear it?"

Tony smiles a crooked, a little sad smile up at Steve. "Correct."

Steve sighs and reaches with his hand towards Tony. He pauses midmotion, hesitating, but decides to just go for it. He reaches to touch Tony's injured cheek, and gently twists Tony's chin so that he can see it better.

"Have you cleaned it up?" he asks. Tony makes a noncommittal sound, and Steve sighs again, this time disapprovingly. "Sit down," he orders, but his tone is soft, so Tony complies. The alpha digs around one of the kitchen cabinets, and pulls out a small first-aid kit.

"I didn't know we had one of those in the common floor kitchen," Tony tells him. Steve shrugs as he pops the lid of the kit open and grabs a small bottle of antiseptic and a couple cotton pads.

"Honestly, with the people that live in this tower I think we should have one in every room. At least once a week someone needs patching up."

Tony huffs out a laugh and watches as the blonde pours antiseptic on one of the pads. He moves to stand before the engineer. "Is it going to sting?" Tony asks playfully.

"Only if you make this hard on me," Steve replies, and gently takes a hold of Tony's chin again. Then he swipes the pad over the small cut on the omega's cheek, making Tony scrunch up his nose at the unpleasant feeling and the sharp tang of disinfectant. "Almost done," Steve tells him, petting the side of Tony's neck slightly as he keeps cleaning the wound, probably not even noticing that he's comforting the omega.

"All done," he says soon enough, smiling a little at Tony and once more cradling his cheek, if only for a brief moment this time. Tony's pretty sure that Steve's going half on autopilot and half acting on his instincts as an alpha taking care of an omega, and watches the blonde's face a little dazedly. His theory is proven correct when Steve seems to realize that he's being a little more touchy-feely than strictly necessary, and his hands leave Tony's face. He clears his throat and turns to deposit the pads to the trash can. Tony ignores the part of him that misses the alpha's gentle and caring hands. He gets to feel hands like that so rarely.

"Thanks, Steve," he says and smiles a small smile at Rogers' back. The alpha turns and is about to say something (probably, 'you're welcome, Tony') when JARVIS interrupts him.

_"Sir, Master Darrow is on his way to the common floor."_

With that the spell is broken, and reality comes crashing back in. Steve turns his back to Tony and busies himself with repacking the first-aid kit. His movements are a little bit jerkier than a moment before.

"Does he have Rose with him?"

_"Yes, he does, Sir."_

Tony nods. Rick is leaving to work then, and is just coming down to give Rosie to Tony. The engineer gets up and walks to the living room where the elevator is. As he passes one of the sofas the elevator pings and the doors slide open.

"Morning," Rick greets him, walking before him with a briefcase in one hand and a sleepy toddler occupying the other. He places a quick peck on Tony's temple as they begin disentangling Rose's arms from around her Father's neck together.

"Morning," Tony greets back, and lets the toddler change her strangulation hold from Rick's to Tony's neck. The toddler is still half-asleep, and seems to succumb into even deeper slumber once she inhales the scent of her omega Daddy.

Rick is in the middle of straightening his suit's front when he seems to catch a sight of something. Tony turns a little sideways and sees Steve standing near the kitchen's entrance, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and with a stern expression on his face.

"Good morning to you too, Alpha Rogers," Rick says pleasantly. Steve's mouth twitches.

"Good morning, Alpha Darrow."

Rick seems content with that. He's clearly aware that something has changed in the captain's behaviour, and Tony's sure that Rick knows it's because of the mark on Tony's face. Because what else could it be about?

The alpha smiles warmly at Steve and then turns back to Tony. "I have to go now. I'll have my assistant send you an email about that stock meeting today. Also, clear up you evening for me, would you. I want to spend some quality time with my family on our anniversary." He says the last part near Tony's ear, grasping Tony's hip possessively, and they both know that Steve can here his low voice just fine from where he's standing. Tony can see the captain's fists tightening and he suspects that Rick is looking straight into Steve's eyes as he's leaning into Tony's space.  _Dear lord,_ the amount of posturing you have to endure when interacting with alphas. 

Then Rick lets go and starts walking back towards the elevator.

"I have work to do, too, you know," Tony calls after him, not really expecting to be excused from the 'quality time' they will be spending in the evening, but just to make sure his displeasure with Rick is made known.

"I know, honey," Rick answers sweetly. Then he nods at Steve over his shoulder. "A pleasure as always, captain," he says politely. The other alpha doesn't answer him. Rick smiles at them, steps into the elevator, and with a push of the button the doors slide shut again.

Tony sighs. "Care to help me make sleeping beauty here some breakfast?" he asks Steve, and relaxes a tad when he sees the alpha nodding stiffly.

 

* * *

 

It's around 8 AM when first Bruce, and then a little later Thor, make their way up to the common floor. Apparently someone had informed them about the state Tony's marriage, at least if the grim looks on their faces when they look at the engineer are any indication. Tony takes that as his cue and kisses the top of Rosie's head before getting up from the sofa. They'd been watching cartoons together with Steve to pass time, but now Tony feels the urgent need to flee down to his workshop. Also, he has work waiting to be done anyway.

"Daddy's going to work for a while, okay baby?" Rosie nods at him absently, still completely engrossed with the cartoon, so Tony takes the chance to round the couch to get away from the kid's line of vision. "Can you keep an eye on her for me for a while?" he asks Steve. "She can finish watching that cartoon, but don't let her spend the whole morning watching TV. If you get busy then just bring her down to me and I'll figure something out for her to do while I work."

Steve nods. "Of course, Tony," he says with a slight smile.

"Thanks, cap," the engineer replies and ducks into the elevator before anyone can stop him and ask him whether he's okay or some other shit.

He's finished one of the bigger projects that had been waiting for finishing touches, and tackled an enormous amount of paperwork, both digital and concrete, that have been piling up in his email and on his desk, as well as finished writing a few reports, when the door to the workshop hisses open and something latches to his leg. That something is his daughter.

"Daddy!" she greets him and Tony bends from waist down to pick her up and place her in his lap.

"Hey, pumpkin. What are you doing in here?"

"We decided that you needed a break," Steve's voice informs him, and Tony turns his head to see the alpha walking towards Tony's workstation, a tray in his hands.

Tony blinks and turns towards the ceiling. "JARVIS, what time is it?"

_"01:32 PM, Sir."_

Huh, so he's been here for quite a while then. "Sorry, Steve," he says while rubbing at his tired eyes. "I didn't realize I had been here for so long. She wasn't a bother was she?" He bounces Rosie on his knee. She waves at DUM-E and Butterfingers on the other side of the room.

"It's fine, Tony," Steve replies and reaches to pet Rosie's head. "She's a good kid." Tony smiles and Steve takes the opportunity to place the tray before him. "Now, take that break and eat. We already did, right Rosie?"

"Yeah," the toddler replies him and grabs handfuls of Steve's shirt when the alpha plucks her from Tony's lap. Tony eyes the tray curiously; there's a bowl full of some sort of veggie stew, a cup of water,  _and_ a cup of hot coffee. _God b_ _less Steve Rogers._ He takes a gulp of it before attacking the stew hungrily.

"There should be some kiddie puzzles in that drawer over there," he says in between bites, pointing a finger towards the said drawer. Steve takes the hint and carries Rose over to the drawer, and takes out a block puzzle. Rose is particularly good with logical thinking (which, really isn't a surprise with her genes), and Tony likes to have her developing those skills from time to time.

The toddler shakes her head at the wooden object. "Not that one, Steve, that's easy. I want another one."

"It's 'Can I have another one, please?', Rosie," Tony tells her off absently.

"Can I  _please_ have another one, Steve?"

Steve glances briefly at Tony before replying to the kid, "I think this looks plenty hard as it is, but alright." He digs through the drawer again and pulls out an unopened one, this time shaped a little differently. "Does this look good, Rose?"

"Yes, thank you," she says and takes the puzzle after Steve unpacks it and hands it to her. The alpha himself grabs the puzzle Rosie had just rejected and starts inspecting it carefully from side to side. He solves it under one minute. Tony smiles fondly at them. Even though for Rosie the puzzles are advanced, they are still designed for kids, so they're no match for normally developed adults. Much less for super soldiers.

It takes Rosie about ten minutes to solve her puzzle, and by the time Tony has already eaten and is typing away another report. She helps Steve put back the puzzles before wandering back over to Tony.

"Daddy, why do you have a boo boo here?" she asks, pointing at her own cheek. Tony's fingers cease their movement and he twists his neck to the side to look at his girl. One of the things he most hates in the world is lying to Rosie, and it pains him that he still sometimes has to. For example on occasions like this.

"Daddy was being careless and had a little accident, that's all. But it's okay now, honey." Even without looking, he can tell that Steve is watching their interaction with a sad expression, and he tries his best to ignore the alpha.

Rose looks thoughtful for a moment. "Will it help if I give it a kiss?" she asks. Tony smiles down at her.

"I'm sure it will. Come on up here," he replies and picks his daughter up by her armpits. She kisses Tony's cheek gently, and it's true; Tony already feels much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ: I just feel the need to point out that I'm not trying to romanticize the relationship between Tony and Rick in any way. It's not healthy in the least. What I'm trying to show you guys is how their relationship has twisted and morphed during the years spent together, in good and bad. They are codependent and they have good moments because they have to in order to cope, but they still despise each other and their marriage is toxic more than anything else.
> 
> Anyhow, thanks for reading! Please, leave a comment and tell me if you liked the new chapter :)
> 
> Next chapter: the "quality time"
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)


	5. Happy Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING:**
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, yeah, this chapter's bad. I'm so sorry.
> 
> Please, review the tags and warnings if you are sensitive to these sorts of things, there's gonna be one graphic scene this time around. Hit me up at tumblr or in the comments if you aren't comfortable with reading it and you need a summary of the chapter instead.
> 
> Edit: changed the the rating from 'not rated' to 'mature'

"Dad!" Rose squeals excitedly when the elevator doors reveal Rick's form standing inside the car. She pads over quickly, and Tony watches as she slows her steps as she nears the alpha, radiating nervous respect towards her Father. With Tony she would've just barreled straight to his legs, positively attempting to squeeze the life out of them, but Rick demands reverence. Sometimes the alpha reminds Tony so much of his own Dad that it makes him sick.

"Hi, pup," Rick greets Rosie back, crouching down to pick their girl up in his free arm and planting a kiss to her forehead. She wounds her thin hands around Rick's neck and buries her nose in the crook of her Father's neck, scenting. Tony wonders how in the hell she manages that, with all the expensive-ass alpha scent enhancing colognes Rick continuously douses himself with, but there the toddler goes, once again, amazing him. Maybe she has some kind of a superpower. Or, maybe it's just Tony that has a problem with the smell.

"Hello to you, too," Rick says as he reaches the couch Tony's sitting on, in his usual spot by the armrest, and bends down to kiss his cheek, right over the cut there. Tony hums and takes another sip from his scotch. "Ready for family dinner?" Rick continues.

"Are we gonna have a family dinner?" Rosie perks up at the question, eyeing her Father with keen eyes. Rick chuckles.

"Yes, we are, munchkin. But only if Daddy will stop sulking."

Tony rolls his eyes, exasperated, and listens to Rose's gasp. "Daddy," she whines. "Please, don't sulk."

"Not sulking, hon," Tony replies, turning to smile at her and level a glare at his husband. "Your Father just imagined it, I'm sure. He must be pretty tired from his day at work." Rick's mouth twitches at Tony's retort, but Tony can't tell if it's the good or the bad kind. Either way, he just decides to roll with it.

He places his tumbler on the coffee table, then stands up to grab Rosie from Rick. He places her on the floor. "Run along now, pup. Go put on that nice new headband Aunt Pepper gave you, so you'll be fancy for dinner." She nods and takes Tony's command to 'run along' quite literally, speeding to her room to rummage through her drawer.

Tony turns to face Rick. "Good day at the office?" he asks with a broad,  _fake_ smile, and dusts imaginary dirt off of Rick's chest. He's still mad, and the alpha frowns down at him, most definitely noticing his mate's sour mood.

"Kind of," Rick replies, shrugging and walking past Tony to place his briefcase on a side table by the wall. His hands move up to loosen his tie. "R&D messed something up again, but the new tech lead got it under control. Also, now that I remember; you'll need to review and sign a few papers by tomorrow evening. We need to send them along by the day after that. You were in that meeting about it, right?" 

"The next-generation transistor thing? Yeah, I was there." He grabs the nearest tablet and makes a note for himself. "On it. But don't expect to gain much from it. Most of their ideas were shit. I won't be passing those along."

"Noted," Rick replies and turns to look at Tony, leaning against the side table as his fingers work the first and the second button of his dress shit open. His tie has been discarded on top of the briefcase behind his back. "But let's not talk about work, shall we? It's our anniversary after all, love."

Tony wants to growl at the deliberately patronizing, sweet tone of voice Rick directs at him. Instead, he replies almost mellowly, "Sure," and places the tablet on the side table, on top of Rick's tie and his briefcase. Rick's hand moves to card a lock of hair back over his forehead when the omega leans closer, and traces his fingers down to his neck when Tony leans back, now hands free of the tablet. His index finger dips beneath the collar of Tony's t-shirt and he pulls out the necklace he gave his husband. He smiles when he sees it.

"It suits you."

"It really doesn't," Tony replies curtly and moves out of Rick's reach. He walks towards the dining room where the staff is finishing up setting the table. Rick likes to indulge on special occasions like this and have professional cooks come over and prepare an amazing, Michelin restaurant level meal to celebrate whatever they feel like celebrating.

The table looks amazing, set with the finest china they own, a stark white tablecloth, a few candles and even a stunning bouquet that consists of roses, lilies, carnations, lisianthuses and irises. A beta waitress who's just in the process of straightening the utensils flanking one of the three plates on the table nods at him respectfully, before continuing on her task.

Tony wants to sigh. Richard really did go all the way in an attempt to outdo himself this year.

"Well, what do you think? Pretty, right?" Rick inquires as he steps into the room behind Tony. He walks over to the table and plucks a single, pink lisianthus out of the colourful bouquet, and hands it to Tony. His eyes fall on the necklace, still visible, resting over the fabric of Tony's shirt, and he reaches a hand to straighten it, so that his name etched on it is level with the horizon. "Don't you think it would call for something a little more nicer to put on?" He tugs meaningfully at Tony's band t-shirt.

"I'm good," Tony replies and sets the flower in his hand on top of the table. Rick pouts at him.

"Rose will be disappointed. I know she's still not past that princess phase which requires everyone to look like they're out of a Disney movie if the situation so demands." He tips his head towards the table. "I think a luxurious event like this is precisely one of those situations."

Tony groans mentally, because Rick's right. Rosie had seen the staff preparing them the dining room and crowding in the kitchen, as well as heard Rick's clarification of it being all for a family dinner. Hell, Tony had been the one to tell her to put on a fancy headband, and the kid was probably still in her room, picking out the best dress to match the headpiece.

"I'll change if you go and wash off the smell of that disgusting cologne," he says as he turns to walk to his room, and Rick barks out a laugh before agreeing to Tony's condition.

 

* * *

 

The three of them are all gathered around the long table, Rick in the same white shirt he wore for work, sans the jacket, Tony clad in a white, generously loose and soft dress shirt and dark trousers, borderline casual but still formal enough to pass by Rick's standards, and Rosie glammed up in a cerulean blue dress, hair pulled partway up and adorned with Pepper's silver flower headband in a way that Rosie firmly tells Tony is 'princess-like'. She'd made him do her hair for her, of course, and Tony's beginning to question whether passing on his diva genes was a good idea after all.

Then Rick had offered Rosie a flower also, and of course it had been a rose to match her name, and the girl had gone absolutely bananas about it and demanded it to be pinned to her chest as well as everyone else to wear a flower to their chest, too. She'd even gone as far as distributing flowers to the staff that had set the table and prepared their dinner, before finally sitting down when Tony'd gone to fetch her.

Truly, damn every Disney movie for getting Rose so fixated on princesses and flowers and glamour. It was only a couple months back when it was still cars and planes, and now it was _this_ , and Tony honestly wasn't sure which phase he preferred.

Rick had just sat through the entire ordeal, not moving a muscle as he had watched their daughter running around, amusement evident on his face, and now he was patiently listening to Rosie's eager description of her latest play, which consisted of astronauts, princesses and the stuffed leopard Clint had gotten her. The beta was really hell-bent on spoiling Tony's kid.

"Can we go and give Steve a flower, too?" she asks, stopping her earlier tale mid-sentence, and turns to look at Tony with wide eyes.

"Steve?" Rick asks, and eyes Tony curiously.

"Yeah, and the rest of the 'Vengers," she clarifies, and looks like she's about to clamber out of her chair, so Tony tilts sideways to grab her by the back of her neck, as he is sitting closest to her. Rick is sitting at the head of the table, as the alpha of the family should (insert an eye roll), and Tony had been seated next to Rose to help her eat.

"First, you gotta finish your plate, honey," Tony tells her, pointing at the meal that is hardly half-eaten. "You know the rules."

Rosie deflates a little, a pout that's surely inherited from Rick settling on her face as she turns back to her plate. "Okay."

"And I hear there's dessert coming afterwards, since it's a special occasion. You wouldn't want to miss that, right Rosie?" he tries to cheer her up, and look at that, she seems to visibly brighten at the mention of dessert.

"Yeah," she replies and shovels some of the asparagus and lemon sauce from her plate and into her mouth. Tony watches her eat and takes a sip from the wine the staff had poured in his and Rick's glasses. Pinot Noir. An excellent choice to go with the duck breast they are having.

"So," Rick begins once Rosie has managed to finally clear her plate, and the waiters are placing small cups filled with crème brûlée before them, as well as filling Tony's glass of wine for the third time that evening. Rick requests a cup of coffee, and Rosie is given juice to go with her water and dessert. "How is the good captain doing?" Rick asks, eyes on Tony as he takes a gulp from his coffee.

"Cap's doing just fine," Tony bites out, spoon digging into his dessert as he savors the taste. "He sometimes helps out with Rosie, as do the rest of the team. Why?" He knows exactly why Rick's asking, but if Rick's going to go down this path, he might as well work for it.

Rick smiles pleasantly at him. "Rose seems particularly fond of him."

Tony bristles and abandons his cup of brûlée in favour of taking his wine glass in hand. He swirls the liquid in its vessel, once again remembering his Mother as he always does when he's holding a glass of wine, and takes a sip. "It's Captain America. Who wouldn't be fond of the guy?"

"Does that include you?" Rick asks, leaning slightly forward. Tony can sense the alpha's possessive side firing up, and he opts for not answering the question.

"How's the crème brûlée, Rosie?"

"'S good," Rose replies absently, too occupied with inhaling the dessert to properly articulate. Tony sighs amusedly and brushes the kid's cheek with his napkin. The dessert is all over her face.

"Next time answer with your mouth empty, okay hon?" Rosie hums at him, always the one to find a loophole to a rule, and chews on the dessert in her mouth.

Soon, Rose's cup is empty, and the toddler is drooping with exhaustion. Still, she keeps insisting to go and hand flowers to the rest of the Avengers.

"We'll go tomorrow, Rose," Tony placates her as he scoops her up from her chair. "Now, say 'thank you' for the amazing meal."

"Thank you," she parrots groggily and waves at the members of staff peeking through the door to the kitchen. "Thank you, Father." She waves at Rick.

"You're welcome, Rose," he says back and pulls out a phone from his chest pocket to occupy himself with. It's only around 8 PM, so he and Tony will be continuing to sit and talk, and Tony's already convinced that he won't be enjoying it.

"Okay, baby. Get your toothbrush," Tony instructs Rosie when he holds her up before the mirror cabinet in Rosie's bathroom. He knows that it's not normal for a toddler to have their own adjoining bathroom, but unfortunately there aren't many things normal in Rosie's life (at least when it comes to her parents or the way they live), so Tony has decided to ignore the fact. Furthermore, every bedroom on their floor has a bathroom as well, so why bother changing it.

Together they get Rose washed up, changed and ready for bed, and Tony reads her a short story like he usually does before tucking her in.

"I love you, sweetie," he murmurs against her forehead when he kisses her goodnight.

"Love you too, Daddy," she tells him, and squeezes his neck in a way Tony has interpreted to mean she likes whoever she's squeezing. He smiles and blows a raspberry against her cheek, causing her to giggle and let go of him. He brushes a hand over her forehead in an attempt to calm her down before sleeping, then gets up.

"Good night, Rosie."

He's just about to pull the door closed when Rosie halts him. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Does your boo boo still hurt?" she asks innocently, expression open, and Tony's heart twinges in tandem with the wound on his cheek.

"No, it doesn't, honey."

"Okay," Rose replies with a sleepy smile. "G'night, Daddy."

"Good night, baby."

 

* * *

 

He returns to the table to find the staff already dismissed, and most of the mess cleared from the table. Only the candles, the thinned out (thinned out by Rosie) bouquet, and the wine glasses are still around.

Rick lifts his half-empty glass at Tony. "Happy anniversary," he congratulates again, and downs the wine. Tony grabs his own glass and does the same. He places it, now empty, on top of the spotless tablecloth. Rick's chair scrapes the floor as he gets up, then walks up to Tony. Tony doesn't turn to look.

"Tell me about... _Steve_ ," Rick says, emphasizing Steve's name in a way that suggests he doesn't like calling Steve that. Which, he probably doesn't, and he's only doing it to rile Tony up. And he succeeds in it, like he usually does.

 _"Steve,"_ Tony starts, using the same tone as Rick did when he repeats the blonde alpha's name, "is a wonderful, kind man. A very capable captain, and an alpha." He turns to lean against the table, looking into Rick's eyes. The alpha isn't angry, not yet, but he's obviously ired by the fact that Tony and Rose are close to Steve. Tony shrugs. "He's a big help when you're not around." And that does it. Rick's eyes flash.

"It's not my fault I have a company to run," he hisses at Tony.  _"Your dad's_ company, to be precise."

"Then sell your shares to Pepper. See if I care."

Rick's hand shoots up to curl around Tony's upper arm and he pushes Tony tighter up against the table. Okay, obviously the wrong thing to say.

"That won't help you get out of the contract, Tony. You know it won't. We're stuck with each other at least until Rose presents and takes over the company."

"You don't even know if she even wants to run the company when she's of age, or if she'll present as an alpha. She could just as well present as a beta." Tony deviously smirks up at Rick. "Or, an ome--"

"Shut you trap," Rick seethes and grabs his chin. "She'll present as an alpha, trust me. That's what the doctors are saying." Tony reigns in the urge to point out that that was exactly what was said about him before he presented as an omega at the age of almost thirteen. "If not, then the ownership will just go to my sister's kids. She has three, remember? Two alphas, one beta. One of them can take over if needed."

Rick says it like it's a valid option, but Tony knows that in reality Rick resents the premise of it. He's always been more or less jealous of his older alpha sister. Old man Chester Darrow's favourite child, destined to lead the Darrow Industries, beautiful, intelligent and successful all her life. It must be tearing Rick apart.

"Sure," he agrees anyway, and it must come out as sarcastic, because Rick's eyes flash with anger again. He grasps the back of Tony's neck in his palm.

"Why do you have to be so difficult all the time? Amanda's omega bitch, Carl, is such a good sport. I hear he actually listens to his alpha," he tells Tony as his other hand moves up to unbutton the omega's shirt collar.

"Yeah, I've heard about your sister's husband, even met him," he replies tersely, straining away from Rick's hand and against the one on his neck as subtly and passively as he can. He's really not feeling it right now.

"I'm sure Carl would never talk about another alpha like you talk about Rogers," Rick continues as if Tony hadn't said anything, voice once again angry. He tugs sharply at Tony's shirt, and one button comes loose.

"Rick," Tony warns, glaring at his husband as he ducks his head to scent along Tony's neck. "Cut the crap. I sat down with you, acted nice and talked even though I'm still pissed at you, so you can stop with the alpha posturing shit right away." He pushes at Rick's shoulders. "I'm tired, let me go to sleep."

Rick growls against Tony's collarbone, against the gold chain resting there, not budging an inch. "I think you need a reminder of whom you belong to."

Tony has the time to let his eyes go wide before Rick is all but ripping his shirt off of his shoulders, mouthing at the tense muscle there, and pushing Tony between his hard body and the dining table. Tony's wine glass topples over the edge of the table and explodes in a spray of shards by their shoe-clad feet.

"Rick!" Tony exclaims angrily and gasps when a bruising kiss is pressed against his neck. Rick takes a hold of his flailing arms, pressing them against the table as he shoves Tony down on it, and changes the kiss so that he's sucking a hickey to the long column of Tony's throat.  _"Rick!"_ Tony yells again, a little more frantic this time, even if he knows from experience that it's to no avail. Rick settles more fully to stand between Tony's kicking legs, and thrusts his hips when the kiss against his neck turns into a painful bite. Tony yelps and tries to twist away.

"Shut up, you'll wake Rosie," Rick says, pulling away for a moment and releasing one of Tony's arms to unbutton the front of his trousers. He pulls down the zipper and palms himself through his boxer briefs. Groans a little. "You know, the one thing I prefer in you over Carl, is that the sex is so great. You know I like them feisty." He surges back down and kisses Tony, and Tony bites at his lip angrily. Not drawing blood, but hard enough to hurt. Rick pulls away with a delighted gasp. "Yes, that's it," he says almost playfully, like he isn't about to rape Tony, although there is a dark look to his eyes.

With one powerful movement, he flips Tony over to his stomach, and starts kissing down his back, pulling his shirt out of the way and locking Tony's hands in it. He presses his crotch against Tony's behind, and Tony can't quite suppress the gasp at the feeling of his erection dragging over his cleft.

"Oh, you love it," Rick taunts, like he always does when he gets Tony's body to play against him, and thrusts against the omega again. He does it for the third time, now with strong hands holding Tony's hips in place, and Tony groans, knees going a little weak. No, he doesn't love it, he  _hates_ it. He hates how easily his body submits to his mate, and how good it feels when Rick touches him the right way. He absolutely  _despises_ it.

"Stop, Rick," he says through gritted teeth when Rick's hand works Tony's trousers open, the other holding him pressed against the table by his arms that are still tangled up in his own shirt. Not that he would be going anywhere anyway. He knows that he can't possibly outrun Rick.

"I wonder if you could give me one more child, darling," Rick croons at him, and strokes the exposed small of his back. The pants are somewhere around Tony's ankles. "It's a little late, but I think you could do it if we tried hard enough."

Yeah, right. Like getting Rosie wasn't hard enough already. Tony's not convinced.

"Keep dreaming, loverboy."

Rick answers by pushing a couple of fingers inside him. Tony's whole body jerks, and then he lets out an obscene moan when Rick's clever fingers find his prostate. He keeps the assault going all the way until Tony's a quivering, whimpering mess, his body basically begging to be taken by his mate. The scent of alpha, his own slick, and his and Rick's arousal in the air are almost overwhelming, and the feeling causes disgusted and desperate tears to make their way to Tony's eyes.

"There we go," Rick says, when he's convinced that Tony's far enough gone to be nonverbal. Because that's what happens when Tony goes down, when he has intense sex.

Tony Stark, the most talkative omega known to the public -- nonverbal, when his alpha fucks him into oblivion.

The fingers leave him, and Tony bites down on his lip to keep from whining at the loss. Instead, he makes one final attempt to buck out of Rick's hold, a scream building up inside his lust-addled brain.

"Not so soon, love," Rick reprimands him and delivers a harsh slap to one of Tony's ass cheeks. Tony gasps and tries to wiggle away, but that's when Rick bends over him, pushing his cock inside Tony. Tony chokes.

"Good?" Rick asks, voice breathy. He begins thrusting,  _hard,_ and Tony can't stop the tears traveling down his cheeks as pleasure gathers in his nether regions, filling his dick with blood impossibly even further. Rick fucks into him unforgivingly, and when he begins to near his orgasm he bites down on Tony's neck, hips pumping even more harshly. Tony whines and grunts and grits his teeth, but he feels himself leaking, even through the slight pain that comes from Rick's rough handling.

Rick groans into his neck, and releases him, his hips stuttering to a stop when he comes, and when the intensity of it lessens, he continues pumping his seed languidly into Tony's hole. He doesn't knot him, since Tony isn't in heat, and when he slips out of Tony's slick warmth, his fingers move to take his dick's place. He moves them with a quick pace, pushing against that spot inside of Tony, and slaps Tony's ass a couple of times, and that's all it takes for Tony to tumble over the edge. He spasms and clenches around Rick's fingers, moaning into the tablecloth as quietly as he can manage, and smells the scent of his own come alongside Rick's. It coats the floor beneath the table.

They are both panting when Rick pats his behind. "Happy anniversary," he says again, and rips at the shirt around Tony's hands so it'll come off easier, before leaving to presumably catch a shower and some sleep. Tony stands there, half lying on the table for a long while before managing to get up and hurry off to shower himself.

 

* * *

 

 

"Here you go!" Rosie tells Natasha happily when she offers her a large, blue iris.

"Thank you, крошка," Natasha replies and crouches down to let the girl place the flower behind her ear. Tony thinks that the blue compliments well with the flaming red of her hair. Rosie just giggles at the Russian nickname. The assassin is the last one to receive a flower, and Rose looks proud at what she has managed to accomplish. They'd traveled from floor to floor in search of various teammates, and finally ended up on the common floor where the rest, that is Nat and Steve, were, to gift everyone with a cut flower. Tony'd been afraid that Clint was going to burst into moved tears when Rosie had offered him a carnation, purple in colour to match Clint's gear.

"Okay, are you all done now?" Tony asks the kid after Nat has risen back up to stand, and Rose is making her way to him.

"Yeah," she says and beams up at him, twining her arms around Tony's leg and settling to sit on top of his foot, legs tightening around Tony's ankle. It's the new game she plays with Thor, the god swinging her around while she holds onto his bulky leg, and apparently she's decided that Tony is as good a substitute as any.

"Honey, Daddy's not strong enough to play this game. You gotta ask Uncle Thor to play with you." He untangles the kid from his leg, but doesn't lift her into his arms like he usually would in fear of her noticing the bruised teeth marks there. He's wearing a casual dress shirt, and the collar is high enough to cover the worst of it, but he still doesn't want her to notice and worry. She's always been very good at spotting any little ailments and then mother-henning, despite being only a toddler herself.

Tony sets her down and she pouts up at him. "I want Daddy to do it!" she whines and throws her arms up in an universal 'pick me up' sign. Tony sighs.  _Of course it's one of these days._

"Daddy will fall on his butt if he attempts to swing you around like he has seen Thor do it," he tries to explain and takes a hold of Rosie's hands, but still doesn't pick her up. She stomps her foot a little, and Tony frowns. "Rose," he warns.

"Maybe I can try to substitute Daddy, hm?" Natasha asks, since Rosie's grown rather fond of her during these last weeks, last months even, and crouches near the toddler again. "Daddy doesn't know how to do it right anyway." Rosie accepts her offer, if a little begrudgingly, and Tony shoots a grateful look in the alpha's direction. She just nods back at him.

"Tony," Steve says, and there's something in his voice that Tony doesn't like. "A word, please?"

Tony sighs. "Sure, Cap." They walk into an empty room nearby that they use to store some stuff, like movies and books, and Tony pulls the door closed behind him, muffling out Rosie's laughter as Nat swings her around. "What is it?"

Steve is silent for a while, and Tony gets to stew for a moment, before the captain finally breaks the silence, "Can I really do nothing to help?" he asks, voice tense and fists clenched, and Tony just stares. He recovers with a shake of his head, and clears his throat.

"No, you can't. Is that all?" he replies, and is already about to turn and head out of the room when Steve's hand grasps his shoulder.

"You're all bruised up," he says, voice tight and slightly choked, like the fact that Tony has a couple of bite marks, a hickey and a cut on his cheek is killing him, like it's the end of the world.

"It's really nothing, Cap," Tony says quietly. Steve's eyes snap back up to his face.

"It's not 'nothing', Tony. This has to stop."

"Well, it's not gonna stop, Steve," Tony growls and pinches the bridge of his nose. He's really tired of this old conversation. "And there's nothing you can do, so suck it up!"

Steve's expression hardens. "I don't understand it, Tony!" he yells, frustration making his movements less graceful than usually. "I don't understand how you can just _act normal_ when this is happening!"

Tony's mouth turns with his anger. "Because this is how I fucking cope, Rogers," he snaps. "This is the reality I live in! And no matter how much I want to have a fit or bawl my eyes out, you know what? I can't do that because I have responsibilities! I have a _daughter_ , Steve."

"Tony--"

"No, Steve!" he interrupts. "Not all of us have the luxury to feel upset. I'm doing the best I can, and so should you. Stop trying to help, because you  _can't!"_ His voice cracks at the end of his sentence, and he pants, eyes trained hard on Steve. A tremble wracks through his tight fist.

"Tony, please," Steve begs, sounding again like it's literally killing him.

"Stop it," Tony says. "There's nothing neither of us can do."

Steve drags a hand over his face before sighing, and he seems to forcefully will his muscles to relax.

"Nat, Clint and I are leaving on a mission in a couple days," he says in a low voice, and Tony frowns at him. "Nat found another Hydra base."

"Do you need the rest of us with you there?"

"No, we'll be going with just the three of us. It's supposed to be a covert mission." He raises his head to look at Tony again. "I don't know how long we'll be gone. Probably for at least a couple months. We need to do some digging and then jumping from base to base."

Tony swallows at the anxious feeling that surfaced when Steve mentioned leaving. He tries to push it down. Opens and closes his fists. "Okay."

"I just want you to be okay," Steve says softly, and bites his lip angrily. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Tony admits tightly as Steve rushes past him and out of the room. The sudden silence feels deafening.

 

* * *

 

Tony doesn't see Steve before he, Natasha and Clint leave for their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and **sorry for not replying to your comments!!** I read them, I loved them, but my energy levels are really low. Yeah, I'm shitty, I know, sorry D:
> 
> Btw, 'крошка' = little one, baby
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](https://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)


	6. Caretaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it's been a while, but here you go!

"DADDY!"

Tony damn near winces at the volume Rosie yells for him, dashing across the room at the sight of her omega dad. He catches her mid-leap, pulling her to his chest and allowing her to nuzzle and scent his neck as a greeting. He gently pets her hair and presses a kiss to her temple. "Hi, pumpkin."

"Hello," she drawls back, elongating the simple word mumbled against Tony's neck.

He presses another kiss to her head, feeling Rosie slowly turn into an impressive imitation of a soggy noodle in his arms, and nods towards the preschool teacher who's making his way towards them.

"Good afternoon, Omega Stark," he says and Tony smiles at the use of 'Stark' instead of 'Darrow' that he sometimes gets.

"Good afternoon, Omega Dunn. And I insist, it's Tony." He flashes a brilliant smile that seems to make Omega Dunn slightly flustered, but the teacher is quick to move past it. Rose just makes a grab at the collar of her dad's shirt absently.

"Of course," Omega Dunn replies in a tone that implies he has no intention of calling Tony 'Tony'. "How are you?"

"Fine. Thanks. Did this little terror behave herself today?" He jostles the girl latched around his neck, causing her to giggle and latch onto him even tighter. Not counting in the short orientation day, this was only Rosie's second day at preschool and the morning hadn't been particularly easy; Rosie had cried and screamed at the thought of separating from her parent and staying with these still new and strange people for another full day, which, while a totally normal reaction from a toddler, had been a nerve-wracking and anxiety inducing moment for Tony as well.

After twenty minutes of settling her down, covered in snot and tears by the end of it, and while attempting to reign in his own instinct and emotion induced tears, he had managed to leave the kindergarten that morning, but only to white knuckle the ride back to the tower and then beat the living shit out of the mu ren zhuang at their gym.

He snaps out of his reminiscing as Omega Dunn answers his inquiry, "Rose did very well today." He smiles warmly in the little girl's direction, and Tony can't help but join in. "We all did crafts together and learned about some plants. Then she had playtime with the other kids. She's very bright for her age."

Rosie hums like she agrees against Tony's collarbone, giving away that she had been listening in. Tony brushes a hand over her small head, trying not to think how full of tangles the toddler's hair currently looks and how he's going to spend the evening attempting to untangle it.

"Yes, she is," he simply replies with a smirk at the teacher. "Okay now, kiddo, gather your stuff and we'll get going."

"Yay!" she exclaims as Tony lowers her shimmying form to the floor, and runs back towards the room. Tony chats for a while longer with Omega Dunn as he waits for Rose to get ready to leave, since the kids that are still playing in the room are being watched over by an assistant, a young girl that seems to have her hands full as she monitors the children. Rosie seems to be in her sights more often than most other kids, so Tony suspects that his girl has already taken over the role of the class troublemaker. Great.

Finally, Rosie is all packed up, and Tony helps her tie her shoelaces when they switch from the soft inside shoes to actual ones. They say bye bye to the teacher and make their way to Tony's sports car, which is parked in the private lot of the school. Tony buckles his daughter in, and only then does he fully take notice of the drawing clutched in the girl's tiny fist.

"What's that?" he asks, gesturing towards the paper. Rosie seems a little distracted by the fabric of her new uniform (a soft, navy blue one piece dress with red accents at the lapels and a warm cardigan that's thrown over it), but she tunes in at the sound of Tony's voice.

She looks uncharacteristically still for a moment, before clumsily turning the paper over for Tony to see. Drawn with an uneven outline and colored messily, but with obvious precision, is a picture of two human-shaped figures standing outside, the other dressed in a blue full-body suit, and the other, the smaller figure, in an orange dress. The blue-clad figure is holding a round object with red circles and a star drawn on it, and the two figures are holding hands and smiling while bright yellow sun shines over them in the sky. Tony's heart almost stops beating as he lays his eyes on the picture.

"I thought if I did a picture for Steve then he'd come home, 'cause 't would make him happy," Rosie states in her young, way too innocent tone of voice, and Tony feels his heart breaking to bits. He has to clear his throat before he can say anything else.

"Sweetie," he begins, smoothing his hand over Rose's forehead gently. "Steve will come home, alright? He's doing work with Clint and Nat, remember baby?" 

Rosie pouts at him. "But I want them all back _now!"_ she whines, tears already welling up in her eyes and oh boy, Tony isn't ready for another tantrum after this morning. 

"Honey, I miss them too, but we'll just have to wait a little longer."

"No!"

"Rose," Tony warns, voice lacking all sterness it should hold, instead replaced with wavering caused by his own overwhelming emotions. It's been nearly three months since the three left for their mission, and no word has come through after the last coded message they received a few weeks ago.

Furthermore, he and Steve didn't exactly part on the best of terms, and the engineer really,  _really_ hopes that all is just fine and dandy despite the sudden radio silence. Needless to say, he is also feeling like a total wreck about the whole mission, and he's probably leaking stress hormones pretty much 24/7, since he already has a pretty stressful lifestyle and the added strain really isn't doing any favours there.

And clearly, his stress levels were the wrong thing to think about, since Rose lets out a pathetic wail at the change in her daddy's scent.

"Oh, baby," Tony says softly, unbuckling the girl again and pulling her to his chest, much like he did not that many minutes ago when he first came to pick Rosie up. "They'll be just fine. They'll be home soon," he reassures, although he isn't sure whether he's reassuring himself or his daughter anymore.

It takes a while, but they finally return to the tower red-eyed and tired to the bone, Tony carrying the child asleep in his arms as he steps out of the elevator.

"Rough day?" Bruce asks from one of the couches in the common floor living room, where he's currently reclined on, watching his fellow scientist collapse on another couch. Tony wordlessly hands him Rosie's drawing, after carefully freeing one hand from beneath the sleeping girl now that she's lying on top of him and not balanced against gravity.

"Oh," is Bruce's reaction to the drawing.

"Yeah," Tony agrees, scrubbing a hand over his tired eyes. God, he needs coffee. _Or, more likely you need one good night's sleep,_  his inner voice chastises him, sounding suspiciously like a combination of Steve and Bruce on their mother hen modes. Hah, Steve's mother hen mode. He wonders when he'll see that again. Or whether, he adds darkly.

"Tony?" Bruce says, and he sounds like it isn't the first time he has said it.

"Uh huh?"

He sighs. "You should go get some sleep, you look awful. I'll serve some dinner for Rosie and keep her company until it's bathtime." Tony cranes his head towards his beta friend, and once again is reminded of how perceptive Bruce really is. It seems like he sees through all of Tony's layers and shields, all the way to the most secret corners of his soul that even he knows nothing about. Like he knows how much this is affecting him.

So, he nods, and takes the elevator upstairs to get some sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next day feels a little easier. Waking up feels a little easier, saying good bye to Rosie and leaving her at the preschool feels a little easier, and doing tedious paperwork feels a little easier. He suspects it's because he slept soundly for once, although he isn't going to admit that to Bruce. Even when Rick comes home early, interrupting his break, it doesn't annoy him as much.

"Hey," the alpha greets absently, going straight for the coffee that Tony had just brewed. Tony just hums into his own mug as he takes another sip. His eyes are glued to the tablet in his hand where he's looking over the last known location of his teammates on the map, for probably the millionth time. He switches to the email app when he hears Rick approach him behind his back.

"What's up?" he asks, bending down from the waist to look over Tony's shoulder. The omega is seated in his usual spot on the sofa, back against the armrest, and the alpha is stood right behind him on the floor.

"Paperwork. Boring," he replies easily, and Rick lets out a low sound of acknowledgement.

"I see. Although, you seem pretty stressed about it," he adds, questioning, and turns his head minutely to eye the slight rise of a a tendon by the side of Tony's neck. Tony just shrugs, although he must admit that his stress levels must be through the roof for Rick to notice the change from the usual. The mating bond urging him to tend to and reassure Tony must be driving him nuts by now. 

"Noted." Tony can practically feel Rick rolling his eyes at him, but he doesn't mind it since two strong hands start massaging his sore neck in an attempt to alleviate the stress along with the tightly coiled muscles.

After a while Rick has to leave yet again, and Tony is quick to follow suit, since now that Rosie is being taken care of he has a leeway to take care of SI business outside of the tower more often. He attends a couple of meetings and goes to see R&D before he has to leave so he can pick up Rose, and this time the whole ordeal goes on without any hiccups.

They are together in Tony and Rick's kitchen, Tony making sauce from tomatoes and chickpeas and Rose playing with her astronaut toy, her Leia Organa figurine and (curiously enough) some wooden ladles acquired from the kitchen, when JARVIS announces that there's a private call for Tony.

"Could you look after this for me," he instructs absently, gesturing to his kid and the stove with a circular movement of his hand as he starts walking out of the room.

 _"Of course, Sir,"_ JARVIS replies somewhat indignantly, as if he's offended that Tony even bothered to ask, but Tony's mind is already occupied by other stuff as he closes the door to his bedroom, so he doesn't pay the AI any attention.

"Go ahead," he signals to JARVIS then, and can hear an audio feed turning on with the slightest static at the beginning. "I'm alone, who's this?" he says in one breath, moving towards his bedstand to pick up the tablet laid there, so that his hands have something to fiddle with.

 _"Omega Stark,"_ Nick Fury's professional tone greets him, causing Tony to startle into a focused state.

"Fury? What is it? Is it about Cap and the others?" he asks quickly, mind jumping from one unsettling conclusion to another and so on. He sets the tablet back down.

_"Yes, actually it is. We have them in SHIELD's medical facility, one that's situated in New York."_

Tony's heart starts thumping harshly against his rib cage, his pulse racing, and he has to sit down on the edge of his bed. "Are they alright?" he asks as he brushes a shaky hand over his face. He needs to calm down.

_"All three are stable. Agent Barton is conscious, but Agent Romanov and the Captain are still under. SHIELD has had them for about nine hours."_

"Nine  _fucking_ hours?" Tony asks, fingers twisting into his bed covers. He needs to pace, but he's afraid that if he stands up he's going to leave the apartment to get to the medical facility, and he needs to finish this call and tend to Rosie before he can do that. "And why was I informed just now?"

_"To my knowledge, you are no mate to any of them, nor are you a close blood relative, yes? SHIELD has no obligations to inform you."_

"I'm one of the Avengers, for fuck's sake," he hisses.

 _"A fact of which I am immensely aware of,"_ Fury jabs, and then sighs audibly.  _"Loosen up, Stark, we were going to inform you, just not in the middle of it all. It was Barton that insisted we get in touch with the rest of the team. I take it that Thor is still AWOL?"_

Tony rolls his eyes. "Yes, still taking care of alien affairs and all that."

 _"Take Banner with you and get to the facility,"_ Fury says abruptly and the call cuts off. Tony draws in a large breath before clapping his hands together.

"Alright, Jarv, time to call my daughter's favourite godmother and ask whether she's free to babysit...." he babbles on as he leaves the room.

 

* * *

 

Seeing his three teammates all battered up and in varying states of consciousness feels just as bad as it sounds, if not worse. Clint, who is sitting up on his medical cot, sports a collection of bruises and cuts on the left side of his head, and apparently banged his head hard enough to cause his left hearing aid to start failing. Natasha, who is lying in her cot unconscious and under sedation, since she had been operated just a few hours ago. Something about shrapnel, was what Tony had been told, and he'd shuddered at that, the ghost of his arc reactor twinging in his chest.

Then, there is Steve and it shouldn't be that much of a blow to Tony, but it is. It damn well is.

The alpha has a deathly pallor to his skin, which is otherwise littered with purple bruises or covered up with white bandages, and while the beeping of the heart monitor is steady and strong, the rise and fall of his chest seems too artificial and shallow. In addition to the ventilator and the heart monitor, Steve is also hooked up to an IV drip and a leg bag, and really, Tony is no rookie to standing near hospital beds with people he knows in them, but hell, this one takes the cake.

"Tony?" he hears Clint call him, and a warm hand closes around his shoulder.

"What," he grits out, and shakes Bruce's hand off, turning towards Barton but refusing to meet his gaze. He's feeling too raw for that now.

There's a slight pause where Tony suspects the two other conscious teammates are having a silent conversation, before Clint speaks up again,

"Cap's fine. They had to put him into a medically induced coma to accelerate the healing process, but they'll be waking him up tomorrow."

"What happened?" Tony asks, finally properly looking at the archer. Clint shrugs and breathes languidly in before replying,

"We were undercover when we got busted. That was when we sent you guys our last transmission and someone found out about it. Spent a couple weeks on the run afterwards, then a few days in captivity when the bastards found us again. They recognized us without our photostatic veils on, took us in and questioned us, mostly about SHIELD, but also about the team, but we gave them nothing. Cap....he took the brunt of the interrogations," Clint finishes with a look towards Steve. Tony feels a chill running down his spine, and he resists the urge to wrap his arms around himself. It would be such an omega thing to do, or at least that's what his Father would think.

"We managed to escape when Nat got the chance to sneak into the facility's control room and brew up a commotion. Although, the complete ordeal required a slew of cool combat moves and a few collapsed walls, but--"

Tony notices that Clint is entering a ramble, being the expert himself, so he decides to cut him off.

"Why didn't you contact us when you were on the run?" he asks, letting some of his frustration shine through. He's on the verge of a nasty breakdown as it is. _So much for a better day_ , he thinks bitterly.

"The HYDRA base we were undercover at was, like, in the middle of fucking _Siberia!_ All there was was freaking taiga, and all we had time to worry about was not getting our asses frostbitten at night, since let me tell you, this time of the year it gets  _damn_ cold out there."

Tony frowns, his jaw clenching. "If you were left stranded then this was Fury's fault. He should've made sure you had back up if things went south."

"Tony," Bruce cuts in, "let's not go pointing fingers just yet--"

"No, Bruce! They almost  _died,_ because they couldn't get the backup they needed."

"I'm right here, you know."

"Shut up," Natasha says suddenly, and all three men turn to look at her.

"Nat!" Clint squeals like a kid seeing his mom, and reaches over to her cot to touch her.

"Natasha, how are you feeling?" Bruce asks, walking to her bedside and taking one hand by the wrist to check her pulse, although his eyes are fixed on the monitor that displays her stats. Habits, then.

"Annoyed, because I had to wake up to your bickering," Natasha grumbles, and Tony can't help but sigh in relief.

"Glad you're feeling good enough to complain," he says and it's truly a talent how the alpha can roll her eyes so noticeably with her eyes still closed.

"Sure," she replies simply. "How's Steve?"

Tony's throat tightens up again, and luckily it's Barton that hurries to answer, "He's still under, but he's fine."

Natasha nods. "Good."

Tony just nods.

 

* * *

 

The next day he returns to the medical facility with Pepper in tow, having dropped Rosie off at the preschool again. He watches with raised eyebrows as the beta rushes to Natasha's cot and practically throws herself at the assassin, whom returns the embrace with as much passion.

Huh, Tony hadn't noticed. He walks up to lean against Clint's cot, watching the archer's mouth hanging open as he takes in the two women in the room, when Pepper shoots him a look, daring him to comment. He just nods and smiles, and that seems to be enough.

Steve is looking loads better, with colour returning to his cheeks and the bruises fading with his super soldier healing and the drugs in his system. When it's close to noon, the doctors decide that it's time to get him to wake up. The process itself can take from the matter of hours to days even, but all the doctors do is take him off the drugs, and instruct the rest of them to be patient. Easy for them to say, is what Tony thinks of it.

He leaves Steve's side only when it's time to pick up Rosie again, and when the man still hasn't shown any signs of waking up.

 

* * *

 

The following day is Friday, and Clint and Nat are released in the morning. They linger for a while with Tony and Cap, but eventually are ushered out of the room to get some resting done in the tower. Tony fiddles with his tablet as he watches over Steve.

Bruce comes to fill in when Rosie needs to be picked up, and Steve is still unconscious.

 

* * *

 

On Saturday, Tony comes in a little earlier than usual, since Rose can spend the day at home with Aunt Nat and Uncle Clint, even if they aren't Steve, who is 'working overtime' according to Tony. He pushes Bruce out of the room to get some sleep after sitting there for the whole night, and takes his place by Cap's side instead. He watches the steady rise and fall of Steve's chest. He allows himself take the alpha by the hand, then lets go as if burned.

He's been there for well over four hours when he notices the first signs of Steve finally waking up. His hand twitches and his breath stutters. Tony is on his feet in an instant.

"Steve?" he calls, one hand on the alpha's chest as he watches intently for changes in his facial expressions.

Then, abruptly, Steve makes a choking sound, and Tony's hands are already removing the tapes and pulling out the ventilator tube. Steve draws in a large, raspy breath once the tube is discarded, and Tony brings his hand back to rest on his chest.

"Steve, calm down, you're fine," he soothes, although his tone is harsh like it usually is. He isn't a very soothing person by nature. That was trained out of him.

"Tony?" Steve croaks, grabbing Tony's hand and covering it with his larger one, and Tony uses his free hand to quickly pour and bring a cup of water close to Steve's face.

"Yeah," he replies and pushes the cup towards the alpha's chin, until he takes the hint and gulps down some water.

"Nat and Clint?" he asks between breaths.

"They are fine, they just got released yesterday morning. You're the one that's been stuck in the damn hospital bed," Tony snaps, and notices that his vision is blurring and that his lungs are burning. He sets the plastic cup back on the side table. "I fucking hate you," he hisses and buries his face in Steve's neck, gasping as he tries not to start screaming -- or worse, crying -- scenting furiously and inappropriately as he embraces the other man. He feels Steve answer in kind, holding Tony tightly against himself and scenting his hair and exposed left ear, and unconsciously scent marking him by rubbing fingers against his neck. Tony knows that he should pull away, and he knows that Steve knows the same, but right now he doesn't care. Neither of them do.

They pull apart only when the doctors begin pouring in, checking Steve's vitals and all, and Tony decides that it's best he call in Bruce and leave himself.

At the tower, he gets a few curious looks from the team, and after promising Rosie they'll go see Cap the next day, goes to take a shower to wash off the alpha's scent from his skin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I'm not a doctor, but I tried to go for some level of credibility. I'm really into realistic writing and I often research some stuff way too thoroughly than I probably should, but I don't know if it was enough for what little medical mumbo jumbo I wrote for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading regardless!
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/)


	7. The Alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so it's been a while.....
> 
> I'm gonna confess that I seriously considered just abandoning all my works here on Ao3. It's been a shitty almost-a-year for me and you guys probably deserve a better explanation, but I think it's not gonna be that relevant to most of you. Also, you'll most likely appreciate an update more than a sad recount.
> 
> Which brings me to: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you who left me lovely and encouraging comments! You guys, you wouldn't believe how much they've warmed my heart. I haven't replied to any I've received in my absence, but believe me when I say I've read them over and over again, and that they were the thing that got me continuing writing again. So thank you, and I'm sorry, you really deserve better.
> 
> I'm not gonna promise another update soon or even soon-ish, because honestly my life doesn't seem to work out like that, but I hope you enjoy this update in the meanwhile. I'll be updating 'Feel me bleed' next, and then I'll try to look over my other WIPs and decide what I want to do with them.
> 
> Thank you again for sticking with me and these fics. I really love writing and it's super to hear you guys like reading what I've got to offer. Have a great day ❤️

The piece of paper crinkles in Rosie's small hands, she's gripping it so hard as they wait for the elevator to stop ascending. Tony has to brush his hand over the toddler's head in a calming manner to gain her attention, as she's practically quaking with excitement.

"You're wrinkling your drawing, honey." He watches as Rosie unclenches her fingers and clumsily starts to smooth out the paper against her thighs. It's Sunday, and they are going to pay Steve a visit since Tony's nerves can't take anymore of Rose's constant questioning about the alpha. Also, the gruesome bruises and cuts have finally mostly healed on his face, so it's safe to bring a toddler to see him.

The elevator car finally stops moving, and Tony extends his hand before Rosie's face for the toddler to take, which she does, albeit with some reluctance. Tony knows that the three-year-old would have much preferred to dash down the corridors in search of Steve's room, but she's smart enough to know that the fastest route there will be obediently following someone that actually knows where the said room is.

They walk as briskly down the hallway, Rose tugging Tony along in a characteristic bout of stubbornness and Tony nudging his daughter to take the correct turns.

"Alright, this one, Rosie," Tony says when they finally reach the room, barely managing to finish his sentence before Rose is already pushing through the door without a speck of common decency. Truly, her Daddy's daughter.

 _"Steve!"_ she squeals and Tony follows her into the room just in time to see Steve grabbing her by the armpits and swinging her up on his cot when she propels herself at the alpha.

"Hi, peanut," he says, hugging her close to his chest as she twines her small arms around his neck in her customary choke hold. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too," Rosie mumbles in a whiny tone against Steve's neck, and Tony decides it's time for an intervention.

"Rosie, let Steve breathe."

"No, no, it's fine," Steve protests, looking too near tears himself to Tony's liking. The omega frowns at the alpha. He's not going to sit trough any more tear fests, thank you very much.

"Rosie had a picture to show you. Right, Rosie?"

The toddler lets out a pitiful sniffling noise and finally abstracts herself from where she'd been furiously rubbing her face against Steve's neck. "Yeah," she croaks and hands Steve the drawing, now even more crumbled than earlier, with what being squished between one toddler and one grown-ass man. It's the same one that she'd drawn at preschool on her second day, and Tony almost dreads looking at it, as if fearing it would be littered with her and his dried teardrops from their meltdown.

Steve takes the piece of art gingerly, bringing it near his face for closer examination. His eyes stray briefly to Tony, before landing on the toddler in his lap.

"Thank you, Rose. I like it a lot." Rose beams up at him, and seems to take that as encouragement to talk her head off, since the outpour of questions that had been staunched for the time being starts up again.

"Why are you here? Did you hurt you at work? When will you come home? Are you coming with me and Daddy?"

"One question at a time, Rosie," Tony says, walking up to stand by Steve's cot, brushing a hand over the toddler's head.

"It's okay," Steve reassures again, smiling at Tony. It's a little strained, and Tony thinks he knows why; they still haven't gotten to talk about yesterday's _Scenting Accident_ , as Tony had begun calling it in his mind. "I'm alright, peanut. The doctors are saying they'll let me come home noon tomorrow."

The beginnings of Rose's smile turn into an impressive pout. "I got school tomorrow."

"You'll see Steve when you get back, okay?" Tony tries to mollify her, but it doesn't do much. He takes a seat at the edge of Steve's hospital bed and leans in to whisper in her hear, "Maybe you can draw him another picture there? That way it'll be a surprise." It seems to do the trick, as the toddler perks up a little, and Tony answers Steve's questioning look with a small smirk and a wink.

They sit there for an hour maybe, listening and joining in on Rosie's stories, until there's a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Steve calls, and the door cracks open to reveal none other than Rick Darrow.

"Good afternoon," he greets the occupants in the room pleasantly, on hand on the doorknob and the other holding a book. Tony eyes it with some suspicion; It's not that seeing Rick with a book in hand is something unusual, but him bringing one into a hospital room certainly is.

"Dad!" Rose exclaims, slithering down the bed so she can run to her Father.

"Hello, Rose," he says, picking her up with his free hand.

"What are you doing here, Rick?" Tony asks, feigning impassiveness, even when in reality he feels like jumping off of the hospital bed and punching Rick in the nose for interrupting his and Rosie's moment with Steve. He hasn't seen Steve in months and for the love of god he's adult enough of an omega to admit it that yes, maybe he did miss the alpha, and no, Rick is not welcome to ruin the moment.

"I'm here to see our dear Captain, of course," the brown-haired alpha replies, walking over and bending down to peck Tony on the cheek. He's clad in one of his work attires, a stylish dark grey suit that matches the streaks of grey hair on his temples.

He walks up to tower over Steve, and Tony notices Steve subtly righting himself where he was previously leaned casually against the plastic headboard. His expression isn't cold per se, but it isn't that welcoming either. Rick, on the other hand, has full-on plastered on his dazzling Public Relations Smile.

"Here. May your stay in this dump be a bit more pleasant," he says, offering the book in his hand to the other alpha. Steve takes it without breaking eye contact with Rick.

"Thanks," he says somewhat coolly, turning his eyes to the book in his hands. Tony can't catch the name of it from the angle he's sitting in, and the confused frown on Steve's face isn't doing any favors either. "This..."

Tony notices that Rick's smile has turned a tad more sardonic than before as he gazes down at Steve, so he reaches over and yanks the book from the blonde's hands. He turns it over and reads the title, written in a faded golden font on the simple green cover.

**Alpha, Beta & Omega in Society: Selected Studies**

He turns to glare furiously up at Rick. "Why would you give  _this_ of all things to Steve?" he asks softly, mindful of Rosie still in the room, watching the three adults interacting in interest from her perch in Rick's arms.

"Why not? It was published in 1929, when Captain Rogers was...hmm, I believe it would be sixteen then. Am I correct, Captain Rogers?"

Steve is frowning by now. "Yes, you are, Alpha Darrow."

"Right. I just wished to cheer the man up with something from his own century. Is that forbidden, now?"

"Shut up," Tony snaps, standing up to bring the book into Rick's line of sight. "You know that's not what I meant. It's by _J. I. Houle,_  probably the most sexist author of his era.Why would you give _anyone_ this piece of garbage?"

Rick tilts his head to one side. "It isn't to the Captain's liking?" he asks mock-innocently and twists a little to look at Steve, who seems to be attempting to contain his irritation.

"I know that it isn't well-spread information, but my Mother, who raised me practically all by herself, was an omega. So, no, I do not appreciate literature that degrades omegas like her. Or, any other omega. Such as Tony, for example." Steve looks quickly at Tony, and Tony, for some unknown reason, feels relieved. Relieved to be sure that Steve isn't like so many other alphas.

He turns his cool gaze back to Rick, as if urging him to say something, and when Tony turns to look at his husband too, he notices the tight set of his jaw and the carefully veiled disdain.

In the end, all Rick does is huff out a soft laugh, adjusting Rosie in his arms as he does. "Well, I'm glad that's settled then. I wouldn't want my husband to spend too much time in the presence of contemptuous individuals," he says, extending one arm to stroke the side of Tony's face. The engineer deftly evades the touch, but Rick's hand still lands on his neck, caressing the skin there as the fingers travel down his shoulder, then his back. Tony is painfully aware of Steve's gaze following Rick's hand as it sweeps over him.

"I'll be leaving the three of you to it then," the alpha informs them, letting go of Tony with a final, possessive squeeze to the back of his neck, and sliding Rose down into Tony's lap. The toddler goes quietly, seemingly confused because of the conversation that had just transpired, and clutches at the collar of Tony's shirt. "See you around, Captain."

Steve gives him a terse nod, and Rosie mumbles a soft goodbye to which Rick replies to with a wave of his hand. Tony doesn't bother saying anything, just curls his arms tighter around Rose and lets the book fall from his hand and land on top of the covers of Steve's bed.

 

* * *

 

It's a month later, and everyone has just about settled back into the same old routine that they had prior to the mission that had gone awry.

The weather is getting colder and everyone seems to be increasingly busy, especially Tony since all the big projects always seem to clump up towards the New Year. Also, the board practically breathing down his neck certainly isn't helpful, but then again, the board rarely is.

On a positive note, Thor is back from his alien affairs, although he did demolish half of London in the process. And hasn't settling  _that_ been a headache, since it seems that handling the PR of the Avengers Initiative seems to fall mostly on Tony's shoulders nowadays that Fury works mostly from underground. Not to mention the World Security Council that has been onto them ever since the Battle of New York. They are getting more persistent with their demands and complaints, and every other Avengers-related incident only seems to be like throwing gasoline into a fire.

Tony sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Speaking of headaches...

"You need some Advil?" Bruce asks from the other side of the work bench. The beta had previously offered to help him with his steadily increasing work-load, and although Tony's 'guilt-complex' (Bruce's words, not his) which is bigger than the Empire State Building had almost forced him to decline the offer, Bruce's knowing look and the his own near crippling stress had compelled him into agreeing.

Tony grimaces at the doctor. "Maybe some coffee, too."

Bruce frowns at him. "Or, a nap perhaps? We've been at this for hours, and frankly, given that this isn't my field and you're running on fumes, I'm not sure how much we're accomplishing here."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Brucie-bear, but I'm on a pretty tight schedule here--"

"When have you cared about schedules?" Bruce interrupts him, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go upstairs before Steve comes down and drags us both up there."

"Low blow bringing up that old mother-hen," Tony grumbles, waving a hand to save and close the holograms he'd been working on. "You know I can't resist those soulful puppy-dog eyes."

"That the only thing about him you find yourself unable to resist?" Bruce asks coyly, and man, the beta has definitely been spending too much time around Tony.

 _"Yes,"_ he says with unnecessary force. He huffs indignantly, "Married, remember?"

Tony's light reminder seems to somewhat sour Bruce's mood. "I remember."

They step into the elevator in silence, and Tony somehow feels like a dick all of the sudden. Bruce draws in a heavy breath, and Tony already knows what's coming.

"I just--"

"Thanks, honey buns, but you can save it." He doesn't look at Bruce, but he can feel the disapproving gaze boring into the side of his face.

"I know you don't like talking about it--"

"So, let's not," Tony cuts in easily, flashing an obviously fake smile at the scientist before exiting the elevator that has just arrived to the common floor. Steve is there, because that's where he always is, and the captain perks up at the sound of the elevator doors. Unfortunately though, the man is too perceptive for his own good and seems to notice something is going on at the first glance at Tony's face.

"Something wrong?" he asks, book slipping shut in his hands. From the looks of it, it's one of those educational papers that teach you about social norms or technology that the alpha has taken to reading. He says that they help him assimilate into the 21st century, and Tony thinks that saying that makes Steve sound more like an actual alien than a man out of his time.

"Nope," Tony quips as he speeds past Steve into the direction of the kitchen, and he can tell that Bruce is making some kind of a facial expression at the captain. What the hell, they probably have some sign code for every time one of them steps into another landmine, so he probably shouldn't be surprised that Steve follows him into the kitchen along with Bruce.

And really, it's ridiculously pathetic how much better he instantly feels when Steve steps up behind him, cups his shoulder in one of his big hands while the other halts his hands that are fumbling with the coffee maker. Ever since Steve went missing and came back, it seems as if the captain cares less and less about what's appropriate and what's not when it comes to Tony, as long as the omega is fine with it.

"Go sit with Bruce, I'll make the two of you something to eat. Okay?"

Tony bites his lip, but ends up nodding and quickly leaving to sit at the dining table when a thumb strokes over the skin on his shoulder. He's getting  _way_ too close to this guy, that is for sure.

He sits near Bruce by the table and the beta glances at him apologetically. Tony decides that striking up a conversation is the best way to show forgiveness, even though he really isn't sure which one of them should be the one apologizing. His sense of right and wrong seems to have been skewed from the get-go, as Howard, and later on Rick seem to always remind him.

It's about half an hour later when Steve reappears with plates of something with too much vegetables that still somehow smells mouth-watering. He sits down with them, and they eat while discussing softly, with bouts of companionable silence in between.

Together, Steve and Bruce bully Tony into taking a nap on the sofa in the common floor living room, and when Tony wakes up it's to Rosie's exited chatter about her day at the preschool. She's holding hands with Natasha, who had been previously tasked with picking her up, and is looking straight at Steve with bright eyes as the alpha crouches before her tiny form. Tony watches with sleep-blurred eyes as Steve picks her up and hears him shush her, until they are kneeling before his face where he lies on the couch.

"Hi, baby," Tony says through a yawn. He holds out an arm and Rose curls into it, and assisted by Steve he heaves the little girl up onto his chest.

"You're silly, Daddy," Rosie tells him, "It's not bedtime yet."

Tony chuckles softly. "You're right, Rose. Daddy was just taking a nap." He brushes a hand over the toddler's forehead, carding away stray pieces of hair as Steve pulls off her back bag and starts unlacing her shoes.

"Daddy was tired?" she asks, absently kicking her shoes off as Steve's hands grasp at her feet. The two of them look homely, comfortable in a way that indicates love and mutual trust between an adult and a child, and Tony's head feels warm and fuzzy at the thought. It feels like a proper family.

Which, Rose and Tony already have, of course, he corrects himself as he sobers from the dizzying feeling. To distract himself, he nods at his daughter. "Had a busy day. How about you?"

Rosie smiles at him, never the one to miss an opportunity to talk her head off.

It's that evening, when Rosie's in bed and Rick is somewhere a couple of states over, when Steve comes up to his floor. He brings his Stark Tech phone as an excuse, asking for Tony to help him adjust the screen settings, but Tony can see right through him, probably because he feels the same way; Steve just wants to spend time with him.

So, they sit by the couch and bend their heads over Steve's phone, shoulder's brushing, and Tony's not really surprised when at one point Steve's palm lands to rest on the small of his back. By the time the settings are 'fixed' and they have switched over to watching the TV, his hand has traveled all the way up to the back of Tony's neck, where  _it shouldn't be,_ given that Tony's married to another alpha. But, it's not like Tony's going to stop Steve.

Actually, it's the exact opposite. He sighs as the tension leaves his shoulders and leans more fully into the warm hand at his neck, blatantly displaying his trust and submission to someone other than Rick, his actual alpha. And he doesn't even feel bad about it, since nowadays despite the mating bond, Steve feels like his alpha, too. Maybe it's the pack mentality speaking, with what the Avengers beginning to grow more and more close, or maybe it's something else, who knows. He doesn't really give a damn anymore. Not since he almost lost Steve. As long as he doesn't get caught submitting to Steve, everything should be fine. Right?

Steve squeezes his neck, and even though Tony has for so long associated the action with Rick's intimidating, possessive or rage-fueled attempts of getting Tony to submit, now the feel of a palm touching him there fills him with heat from head to toe. He goes slack, a soft groan escaping his mouth, and  _oh god is he **actually** submitting? _

"This okay?" Steve asks, and his voice is filled with.... _something,_  something passionate and desperate,but he's still asking and making sure that Tony's comfortable and Tony has never been taken care like this before--

"Yes," he gasps out finally, eyes desperately scanning the other man to find any sign of dishonesty. Any sign, that would make alarm bells go off inside his head. Any sign, that Steve would ever hurt him.

He finds none.

Steve gives his neck another squeeze. A swipe of a thumb near his ear. Tony shudders, gasping softly.

This is a new territory, and he's not sure what the next course of action should be. The obvious thing for any other omega would be to fully let go, to submit to the perfect alpha before them. But they're not Tony Stark. The Tony Stark, who has never submitted to another person before, at least not both bodily and mentally. Is that even the thing that's expected of him right now? Is Steve asking him to submit, to leave his current alpha and his kid--

The thought douses him with cold water, and he shakes Steve's hand away, pushing farther away from the blonde and the hurt look on his face.

"I-I can't. I'm sorry. The contract, Rose--"

"No, Tony, don't," Steve interrupts him, shaking his head and carding a hand through his hair. The alpha looks somewhat panicked, which is a rare expression on his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. I just--I don't know what I was thinking. You have an alpha and--"

For some reason, those words rip through Tony like claws and the omega has to push his hands into his pockets so that he doesn't clutch them around his midsection protectively.  _Never show weakness,_ Howard reminds him. "It's not like...I don't...."

"I want to," Steve says, and are those tears in his eyes? "Believe me, Tony, I want to. So badly." He chuckles somewhat wetly and moves as if he's about to leave.

"I want to, too," Tony forces out, and it's somehow such a surprise to say out loud and such a powerful statement, to actually  _want_ an alpha, and  _want_ to submit to someone and let someone take care of him, that he has to clamp a hand over his mouth, lest he say something else as damning or worse, start bawling. Which are both equally likely, at the moment.

Steve looks at him with hopeful eyes now, and stands up to walk over to Tony. Tony feels like he should shrink back, but he stands his ground, because it's _Steve_ , and he trusts him. He really does, he realizes now.

"Then," Steve says, tentatively reaching out, "we'll figure this out," he finishes, and it sounds like a promise, so Tony let's himself lean against the alpha's strong shoulder. Arms fold around his back and he's being embraced and scented and it's probably the happiest he's been since his teammates were found alive and mostly unharmed, even if the moment is tainted with bittersweetness and guilt.

"Yeah. We always do," he agrees, and burrows closer to the other man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I just thought that that was a good ending for now, right? I'll make it normal length next time I promise lol
> 
> If you wanna say hi, here's [my tumblr](https://cannibalpasta.tumblr.com/) (which has also been on a hiatus oopsie)
> 
> Love you guys xx


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